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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
THE 
 
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 AND 
 
 BY THE . 
 Flev. EJ. R. 
 
 l 
 Missionary, Evangelical Lutheran Society, 
 
 Translated from th.e Grerm.an, 
 BY 
 
 J. D. B. GRIBBLE, F.R.A.S., M.A.I., 
 
 Madras Civil Service. 
 
 Printed by 
 
 HIGGINBOTI1AM AND CO 
 
 1875. 
 
fj V 3 
 
 T3/033 
 
 TO 
 
 LADY 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 17, line 31, for Qao-iXftov Travdiovii;, read j3a<rt\fiov 
 
 18 ; line 5, for AfdfaTro ftaa-iXeiov ,of the 2a>(j6a, read j\carou 
 
 ftco-iXciov of tlie Scaya. 
 18, line 14, for 8ao-{\ctov KTjgopo^ca, read /SnoriXetoy K7;?o/3o.^?ou. 
 
 IS 
 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
fj v s: 
 T3/633 
 
 TO 
 
 LADY 
 
 IN REMEMBRANCE OF MANY ACTS OF KINDNESS 
 
 AND 
 
 DEEP INTEREST, SHOWN 
 IN THE WELFARE OF THE 
 
 PEOPLE, 
 
 WHICH IT ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE, 
 THIS LITTLE BOOK 
 
 IS 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A PORTION of this book has already appeared in a German 
 Missionary publication. A considerable portion is here 
 translated from the original manuscript, and the whole has 
 been subjected to the revision of the Author. 
 
 The book contains so much that may be new to many 
 readers, and so much that will be of interest to many more, 
 that I do not think an apology is needed for it. I feeJ, 
 however, that some apology is needed for the many faults 
 and imperfections of the translation. 
 
 It has been written and passed through the Press in the 
 intervals of Official work, and had I had more leisure I trust 
 it would have been less imperfect. I hope, however, that 
 the intrinsic worth of the book will atone for the errors 
 of the 
 
 TRANSLATOR. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAKT I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE LAND AND ITS PRODUCTS. 
 
 Extent, 1 Tanks, 2 Rice, Sugarcane, 3 Indigo, Cotton, 4 Iron and 
 Steel, 5 Salt, 6 Revenue, 6 Trees, Palmyra, 7 Banian, 8 
 Tamarind, Mango and Jack, 9 Forests and Animals, 10, 11 
 Climate, 15. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 PEOPLE AND THEIR LITERATURE. 
 
 Origin of the Tamulians, 16 The Pandian, Chera and Chola Dynas- 
 ties, 17, 18 Madura, 18 Tiruvallavan, 19 Nyana Samander, 21 
 Specimens of Tamil Poetry, 22-27 The Ramayana, Extract from, 
 27-30 Christian Literature, 30, 31 . 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EXTERNAL APPEARANCE OF THE TAMULIANS AND THEIR 
 DOMESTIC LIFE. 
 
 Clothing, 32 Manners, 33 Houses, 33, 34 Domestic Customs, 
 Births, 34 Marriages, 35 Deaths, 37 Rama's lament, 38 Cere- 
 monies at a death, 40 Widows, 41 Village life and Officials, 42 
 Trades, 43, 44. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 RELIGION AND WORSHIP. 
 
 Original Religion, 45 Aryan Immigration, 45 Vedas, 46 First 
 Period, 46 Second Period, 53 Third Period, 72 Modern Gods, 
 75 Vishnoo and Siva, 76, 77 A modern Hymn, 78. 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 TEMPLES AND TEMPLE-WORSHIP. 
 
 Indian and Egyptian Temples, 82 Dimensions, 83 Description, 
 84, 85 Seven Pagodas, 87 Buddha, 90 Origin of Temples, 93 
 Festivals, 95. 
 
 PAKT II. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH. 
 
 St. Thomas, 95 Thomas' Christians in Malabar, 96 Persecutions of, 
 by Portuguese, 97 Treatment of, by Dutch, 100 By English, 101 
 Description of ceremonial, 102, 103. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 ROMISH MISSION. 
 
 First landing of Portuguese, 106 Albuquerque, 107 John Ill's 
 liberality, 108 Xavier, 109 Madura and Fernandez, 112 De 
 Nobili, 113 Expulsion of Jesuits, 119 Pondicherry, 119 Sta- 
 tistics, 120. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE LUTHERAN MISSION. 
 
 Tranquebar, first settlement at, 125 Ziegenbalg and Pliitschau, 126 
 Quarrels with Danish Directors, 128 The Paulinian and Ottonian 
 methods of conducting a Mission, 129 Ziegenbalg's illness and 
 death, 132 Griindler, 132 Cruel letter of Directors, 133 
 Griindler's reply, 134 Death, 138 Schultze, 138 Hymns, 140 
 Schultze goes to Madras, 142 Last of old Missionaries, 142 
 Revival of Mission, 143 Mr. Cordes, 143 Present state, 144 
 Reason that so few have been converted, 147. Madras, 149 
 Schultze, 150 Fabricius, 153 Troubles in Madras, 154 Hymno- 
 logia, 155 Death of, 156 Gericke, 156 Rottler and Paezold, 157 
 The S. P. G., 158 Return of Lutheran Missionaries, 158 Mr. 
 Kremmer, 159 Present state of Station, 160. Cuddalore, 161 
 The Gadalam and the Pennar, 161 Description of District, 162 
 Bernadotte, 163 Sartorius, Geister, Kiernander, 164 Huttemann, 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 165 Kiernander goes to Calcutta, 165 Extract from Huttemami's 
 Letter, 166 Gericke, 168 English Missionaries, 169 Revival of 
 Lutheran Mission, 169 Extension of, 172 Chellumbram formed 
 into a separate Station, 173 Present condition of Cuddalore, 174. 
 Trichinopoly, early account of, 175 First Christian movement, 
 176 Schwartz, Chaplain at, 177 Pohle, Schreyvogel, 177 Passes 
 into hands of English Mission, 178 Revival of old Lutheran 
 Mission, 178 Present condition, 179 Missionary Kahl, 179. 
 Tanjore, situation of, 180 Lawsuits of People, 181 Royal Palace, 
 182 Pagoda and Schwartz's Church, 183 Schwartz founder of 
 Mission, 183 Rajanaicken, 184 Schwartz and the King of Tan- 
 jore, 185 Schwartz made Guardian of King's son, 187 Schwartz's 
 Embassies, 188 Schwartz's Death, 190 Subsequent events and 
 present condition of Mission, 192. Combaconum, description, 193 
 Present condition, 194. Mayaveram, 194 First a Station of 
 C. M. S., 195 Handed over to Lutherans, 196 Present condition, 
 196. Nagapatnam, 196 Founded by Gericke, 197 Present con- 
 dition, 197. Pudoocotta, 197 Rajah of, 198 Station first founded 
 by Americans and handed over to Lutherans, 198. Coimbatore, 
 description, 199 Forests, Hills and wild Beasts, 200 Population, 
 201 Condition of Mission, 201. Chellumbrum, description, 202 
 Condition of Station, 203 Conclusion, 204 Resume of state of 
 Lutheran Mission, 205. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE ENGLISH EPISCOPAL MISSION. 
 
 Renewal of Charter of East India Company, 206 First English 
 Missionaries Debate in House of Commons, 207-8 Different So- 
 cieties, 209 The three Circles of the Society for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel, 209 Madras, Tanjore, 209 Tinnevelly, 210 Descrip- 
 tion, 210 The Palmyra, 211 The Shanars, 212 Janicke, Gericke, 
 213 Gericke's Tour, 214 Rev. Rosen, Mr. Hough, 215 First 
 Missionary of S. P. G., 217 Present condition of Mission, 218 
 The Church Missionary Society, 219 Rhenius, 2] 9 His work, 
 220 Letter of King of Prussia to, 220 His Assistants, 221 
 Rupture of Rhenius with English Society, 222 Dismissal of 
 Rhenius, 224 Withdraws to Arcot, 224 Returns to Tinnevelly, 
 225 Death, 226 Rhenius' character, 227 Present state of Tinne- 
 velly Mission, 229. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE MISSION OF THE ENGLISH AND AMERICAN 
 
 (NON-CONFORMIST) CHURCHES. 
 
 London Missionary Society in Travancore, 231 Demon -worship, 
 232 Isaki, 232 Anecdotes, 233 State of Mission, 235 The 
 Wesley an Methodists, 236 The Scotch Churches, 236 American 
 Missions, 238 Madura, 238 State of Mission, 239 Arcot Mission, 
 240 Dr. Scudder and his sons, 240 Total number of Christians 
 and Missionaries in Tamil-land, 241 Conclusion, 242. 
 
THE LAND OF THE TAMULIANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 THE LAND AND ITS PKODUCTS. 
 
 THE world had already attained a respectable age, before 
 it knew anything of the land of the Tamulians. Then a weak 
 delicate man stepped from a boat on to its shores, and 
 gazed at the country long and wistfully, but no one was 
 ready to open his door to him. This man remained for 
 thirteen years in Tamil land, and when he went home, he 
 left to the country as a remembrance his still youthful but 
 weary body. This was Ziegenbalg, the first Lutheran 
 Missionary to the Tamuiians. Since his time this distant 
 land has been brought nearer home, and now the land of 
 the Tamulians is known in every quarter of the globe. 
 And yet the longer we look at it the more we feel that it is 
 very far removed from Europe, and that many imagine 
 things to exist which are not, and that things are not which 
 do exist ; but as this country has been for more than a 
 century and a half the scene of German labor, and a sub- 
 ject of German prayers, it is right that we should take a 
 careful view of it. 
 
 Our first glance shall be at the country itself, and we 
 find that it is larger than the kingdoms of Bavaria, Wurtern- 
 berg, Saxony, and the Saxon dukedoms put together, and 
 contains a population which is about equal to that of the 
 abovernentioned countries (about 16 millions). This very 
 respectably sized kingdom is washed on the East by the 
 Bay of Bengal, whilst on the West a range of narrow moun- 
 tains stretches from its most Southern point towards the 
 North and forms a natural boundary to the West. In the 
 country which borders on Tamil land, Malay alam is spoken 
 in the South- West ; Canareso in the centre and Telugoo in 
 the North. The highest peak of these hills is found in the 
 Ncilgherries, about 8,000 ft. above the level of the sea and 
 
already beyond the Tamil-speaking boundary. Another 
 lofty, though somewhat lower, range is that of the Pulney 
 Hills. These are about 7,000 ft. high and stretch far into 
 Tamil land. They are, however, but scantily cultivated. A 
 third still lower group, or rather an eastern off-shoot of the 
 above range are the Shervaroys about 4,000-5,000 ft. high. 
 These are situated entirely within Tamil land ; they are 
 not quite removed from the fever range, and are now toler- 
 ably covered with Coffee plantations. 
 
 From these mountains, or running between them and 
 rising in countries beyond them, several important rivers 
 flow through the country from the West to the East into 
 the Bay of Bengal. The Palar with its mouth near Sadras, 
 the Poniyar near Cuddalore, the Cauvery, broadest near 
 Trichinopoly, the Vygar in Madura, the Tambrapany in 
 Tinnevelly and many others of lesser note. In the neigh- 
 bourhood of all these rivers and especially in the low country 
 the land is fruitful to a high degree. For even though the 
 soil itself is not very rich, yet if there is only enough water 
 available the Indian sun is capable, with its heating and 
 drawing power, of producing the richest fruits. On the 
 other hand, the richest soil, without water, becomes burnt 
 up, is changed into dust, or is baked to the hardness of stone, 
 and is full of deep cracks and fissures. 
 
 For this reason the former kings of the land did much to 
 retain the water of the rivers ; they built great dams of 
 stone across the largest rivers in order to raise the water 
 to a higher level, and from thence to carry it by thousands 
 of channels far away into the fields ; they built many large 
 tanks or reservoirs, and dammed up natural hollows, which 
 in the rainy season become lakes from which the country is 
 irrigated. 
 
 During the rainy season from October till December, and 
 for a short time afterwards, the rivers are often very broad 
 and full of water. They are, however, never used for navi- 
 gation because these floods last only for a short time. 
 Thousands of channels draw off the water for the supply of 
 distant fields and reservoirs, so that the rivers become very 
 soon emptied and for the greater part of the year are 
 nothing more than broad, glowing beds of sand. They, 
 therefore, cannot generally be said to be picturesque ; they 
 are fringed by no green shadowy banks, and only a shallow 
 rivulet runs through the deep sand, for they have yielded 
 
what they possessed to the service and benefit of man. 
 But man is not often able to get as much as he wants from 
 them, and comes back to the empty river beds and digs 
 holes in order to find the necessary water for his cattle. 
 
 In the districts well supplied with water, the principal 
 product is rice, and for ever rice, as far as the eye can 
 reach. The land is divided into flat square fields, each with 
 an incline of a few inches so that each of these fields lies 
 higher than the other. The water is then taken from the 
 channels and allowed to run from the topmost to the 
 lowest field, so that all are under water. The fields are 
 ploughed and sown with the water standing on them, and 
 when the young plants are grown about a foot above the 
 water they are taken out, tied in bundles and transplanted 
 into other larger fields, prepared in the same manner. This 
 work is generally done by women who stand in the water 
 like storks, but bent at right angles, and thus plant entire 
 fields with great industry. Far as the eye can stretch for 
 days' journeys together, every field is planted with rice. 
 In good soil with plenty of water, two, and in some places, 
 three crops are raised in the year. 
 
 Sugarcane also requires a plentiful water supply and 
 sugar is manufactured in numerous places for the markets 
 of the country and for exportation. In districts which are 
 far removed from rivers and lakes or are so highly situated 
 that water cannot easily be taken to them, the soil is, of 
 course, much less fruitful. Large tracts of country are 
 covered with wild jungles, and the villages are few and 
 far between. In such districts wherever there is cultiva- 
 tion, wells are dug and are pretty close together. These 
 have a long crosspole swinging on a high tree trunk ; at 
 one end of the pole there is a long bamboo to the end of 
 which an iron bucket is attached ; two men run quickly 
 up and down the crosspole, raising or depressing it by their 
 weight, and supporting themselves by a bamboo rail ; a 
 third guides the bamboo and the bucket into and from 
 the well, empties the bucket into a trough formed of 
 a hollow tree or of masonry work, and at the same 
 time chants out how many buckets he has brought up, a 
 fourth individual leads the water thus raised into the fields, 
 and in this way they are able to irrigate several acres of 
 land planted with rice or sugarcane. 
 
 Indigo, certain pulses, and other similar grains do not 
 
require regular irrigation. They are sown shortly before 
 or shortly after the rainy season when the ground is well 
 moistened by the monsoon rains. But should the rain be 
 not plentiful enough, or should it not fall at the proper 
 time, the whole crop is lost. Indigo bears three or four 
 cuttings, so that there are general^ as many harvests before 
 it is necessary to re-plough and re-sow the ground. There 
 are no barns here for storing, nor any threshing machines 
 or even flails ; on the field where the crop has been cut, it 
 is at once threshed out and for this purpose they make use 
 of a small portion of the field slightly elevated above the 
 remainder, and firmly stamped down. The rice is taken 
 in small bundles, it is beaten a few times on the ground, and 
 the remainder is thrown into a heap which is trampled upon 
 by oxen. Therefore the Mosaic law, " Thou shalt not 
 muzzle the ox that trarnpleth out the corn," has a literal 
 application to India, even in our days. 
 
 Cotton of course is also grown, for all the natives dress 
 in cotton clothes, and a large quantity is exported. There 
 are many kinds of cotton, which are grown in different soils. 
 The ordinary indigenous cotton plant is only of one year's 
 growth, and has to be re-planted annually. This is done 
 shortly before the rainy season, and it is generally planted 
 together with other grains (pulses) which are first harvested, 
 and thus give the cotton more room to spread. 
 
 The first harvest of cotton is in February or March, and 
 if a little more rain falls there is a second in July or August, 
 which produces about half as much as the first ; then the 
 land is manured by sheep being penned upon it, and is 
 afterwards again and again re-ploughed and re- sown. 
 
 Another kind of cotton is triennial and requires a less 
 rich soil to mature, besides this there is the Bourbon Cot- 
 ton plant which has been introduced with success, and experi- 
 ments are also being made with American and Peruvian 
 Cotton. 
 
 The Iron manufactures of the Tamulians are both import- 
 ant and interesting. The mountains are rich in iron ore, 
 and no trouble or skill is required to bring it to the light 
 of day. The ore is simply picked up, broken into pieces, 
 washed clean from the earth and placed in the furnace. It 
 must not, however, be supposed that this furnace is a very 
 costly or permanent structure ; it consists merely of a few 
 walls of plaster, which two men can build without any 
 
expense in one or two days, and it is erected at the place 
 where the ore has been collected. 
 
 The bellows, of which there are two, consist each of an 
 entire goat skin, a man squats down on the ground, takes 
 one in each hand and moves them up and down somewhat 
 quickly, so that an equal and powerful blast is effected. 
 The earthen furnace is rilled at the bottom with charcoal, 
 and then ore moistened with water is placed on the top of 
 it; again follow charcoal and ore, and the operation with 
 the two goatskins continues for four hours ; the iron is then 
 taken out with tongs, beaten with hammers so as to free it 
 from the dross, and then given to the blacksmiths. The 
 smith throws the iron thus obtained into chauldrons full of 
 charcoal, he blows away with two similar goatskins and then 
 hammers it into bars twelve inches long and one and a half 
 broad. The iron is then ready for manufacture. 
 
 This iron is, however, very brittle, the color is red and 
 most of our blacksmiths would probably reject it as useless, 
 But this unpretending material produces the Indian steel, 
 celebrated already in the earliest ages, and from which the 
 swords of Damascus were manufactured, and as in olden 
 times no other steel could be procured anywhere, it is pro- 
 bable that steel from India was used in polishing the granite 
 monuments of Egypt. 
 
 The preparation of the steel again, is as simple as that 
 of the iron. Small crucibles of mud mixed v/ith husks of 
 rice are built on the spot. Into these crucibles is thrown a 
 quantity of broken iron with about a quarter of the weight of 
 dry wood of the wild cinnamon bush (cassia auriculata) cut 
 into small pieces, and after adding a few leaves of celandine 
 (asclepia gigantia) the whole is covered up. An earthen 
 cover is put over the mouth of the crucible and smeared 
 with mud so as to render the whole air-tight ; a number of 
 Buch crucibles filled in this way are then placed in a furnace 
 and covered with charcoal. A fire is lit and blown with 
 the self-same goatskins for two or three hours. They then 
 quietly wait until the whole has cooled, after which they 
 proceed to extract the steel from the crucibles. 
 
 By the above process, all the unnecessary particles of 
 carbon, which are the cause of brittleness in the iron, are 
 removed and the finest steel is obtained. It is impossible to 
 ascertain how the natives of India have arrived at this 
 simple but profitable way of making steel; but it seems 
 
certain that in olden times they were the only persons who 
 understood its preparation and the oldest Persian Poems 
 speak in praise of Indian steel. 
 
 Salt is manufactured by a process even more simple than 
 that used in the preparation of steel and iron, and this 
 manufacture, of which the Government has made a mono- 
 poly, is one of the most profitable sources of revenue. Barren 
 flats of ground, situated near the sea, are levelled in the 
 same way as rice fields, sub-divided and then flooded with 
 sea water. The Tamil sun soon dries up the scanty moisture, 
 and the result is salt, which covers the fields like a coat of 
 snow. This process is several times repeated during as 
 many days, and then all that is necessary is to pick up the 
 salt and store it in heaps, and it is ready for sale or for 
 transportation into the interior. As may be expected, this 
 salt which has been scraped from off the ground is riot 
 particularly clean ; but it is not difficult to clean it, and this 
 task is willingly left to the purchasers. The salt thus manu- 
 factured can only be sold to Government from whose officers 
 the dealers purchase it in wholesale quantities. The manu- 
 facture by private individuals is strictly forbidden, and the 
 Government pays to the small French Settlement of Poridi- 
 cherry no less than four lacs of rupees (40,000 circa) in 
 order to purchase the condition that the French authorities 
 will allow no salt to be manufactured in their territory. 
 This sum would seem to be an enormously high one, were 
 it not remembered that Tamil land alone (without taking 
 into account the four other language divisions of the Presi- 
 dency) yields a salt revenue of over two millions of rupees 
 (200,000). The cost of the preparation of salt is so insigni- 
 ficant that the Government receive about 500 Rupees for 
 every thirty rupees expended. 
 
 The chief source of the income of the Government, how- 
 ever, is the land revenue, and under this head the 16 millions 
 of Tamulians have to pay over twenty millions of rupees, 
 so that after adding a few more millions on account of 
 the manufacture of spirits, the issue of licenses, &c., it will 
 be found that the rate of each man per head, big and little, 
 is about two rupees. 
 
 The most remarkable of the trees, of which on the whole, 
 Tamil land has a bountiful supply, are the mighty banians, 
 the thick shady tamarinds, and long branched mangoes, but 
 the most beautiful as well as the most profitable are the tall 
 graceful cocoanut palms. 
 
Linnceus called the palm tree the prince of the vegetable 
 kingdom. There are many different species of the tree, but 
 in Tamil land the commonest kind is the palmyra, which 
 grows wild in a sandy soil ; the favorite species on the other 
 hand is the cocoanut palm which especially loves the sea 
 air. The trunks of the palmyra are made into beams and 
 rafters for the houses, the leaves of both trees are used for 
 roofing purposes, the cocoanut yields the fine oil which is so 
 much used in the country, and is in so great demand in 
 Europe, and from the fibres of the nut, are made all the 
 country ropes and strings as well as the strongest anchor 
 cables, which in this form are also exported to Europe and 
 other quarters of the globe. 
 
 In addition, the palmyra yields sugar, and both palm 
 
 species the so-called palm wine or toddy, which, however, 
 
 has very little in common with proper wine and is more 
 
 like a bad kind of whisky; it is strong smelling and highly 
 
 intoxicating. The Tamil people are moderate and sober, 
 
 but since the Government has introduced the system of 
 
 selling the right to manufacture this liquor to the highest 
 
 bidders, who are accordingly obliged to erect their shops in 
 
 evety hole and corner, drunkenness has increased to a serious 
 
 extent. Not only the lower castes, but also the middle ones, 
 
 to whom drunkenness was formerly the greatest disgrace, 
 
 now drink and get drunk, and even their wives sometimes 
 
 imitate their example. According to the laws of Manoo the 
 
 punishment of drunkenness is death, and death by pouring 
 
 down the throat of the offender the boiling urine of the cow. 
 
 At present it would almost seem that the only sober class of 
 
 people are the Shanars, who prepare this liquor. They do 
 
 not drink, though others of their caste, who follow other 
 
 sources of living indulge in the habit. Members of the 
 
 higher castes, especially those who live in the towns drink 
 
 both wine and brandy. 
 
 It is certainly greatly to be regretted that under the 
 English Government the sobriety of the people has so 
 greatly suffered. Under the Mohammedan rule the virtue 
 of sobriety prevailed, and though the palm trees grew 
 equally then as now, they were used only for the manufac- 
 ture of sugar and oil. The responsibility of the increase of 
 the vice of drunkenness is generally supposed to lie upon the 
 Government alone, which by introducing the system of 
 renting the exclusive manufacture of liquor, has rendered 
 the preparation of spirituous liquor not only legal but uni- 
 
8 . 
 
 versal. But though there is a great deal of truth in this, 
 there is, in my opinion, another factor, who is also, and I 
 maintain even more to blame for the prevalence of drunken- 
 ness ; I mean example ; whilst the lords in the land con- 
 sume beer, wine and brandy in enormous quantities, it 
 follows that the subjects soon regard drinking as a portion 
 of civilization in the culture of which no one is willing to 
 be left behind. Would that some means could be devised 
 whereby the rapid progress of this vice of drinking might 
 be arrested. 
 
 There are many remarkable and beautiful specimens of 
 the banian tree which is generally planted only for the 
 purposes of shade, and which ordinarily grows wild. Near 
 Cuddalore there is a tall handsome tree, which from a dis- 
 tance can be easily distinguished from the others, and to 
 walk round which, 163 paces are required, so large is the 
 extent of ground occupied by the tree and its dropping 
 roots. These air-roots often descend quite straight and 
 perpendicular for a considerable distance, and at once take 
 root even in the hardest soil, the sap then mounts upwards, 
 and in a few years' time these string-like roots become thick 
 trunks. Hundreds of such air-roots hang from the tree, 
 I allude to on every side, the majority, however, never reach 
 the ground for boys are in the habit of playing and swinging 
 on them, and thus break off the ends before they can reach 
 the earth. Thirty-five of them, however, have firmly taken 
 root, and one has already grown to a trunk of 19 ft. in 
 circumference three feet above the ground, whilst the 
 youngest is only one and a half inches in circumference. 
 If care were taken these trees might be trained to occupy 
 an enormous extent of land. As it is, the abovementioned 
 tree is large enough to accommodate under its shade more 
 than a thousand men, It is worthy of remark that the 
 seed of this mighty tree is one of the smallest in the world, 
 smaller even than the mustard seed. And if this diminutive 
 seedlet is borne by the wind or dropped by a bird, and falls 
 upon a building in which there is a crack, however small, 
 the strongest and the mightiest edifice must in time yield to 
 its power. I have seen the strongest vaults split in two or 
 thrown into ruins, solely through the power of this little 
 seed, or' on account of a thread-like root which had descended 
 from above and taken root. 
 
 It is remarkable how great an attachment this the most 
 independent of trees, for it has so many legs to stand upon, 
 
9 
 
 shows towards the palmyra palm. As soon as it scents one 
 in its neighbourhood it seems to resign its independence, it 
 becomes a creeper, and creeps and winds round the palmyra. 
 And soon it throws its arms round the tree on every side, 
 until at last the palmyra is perfectly enveloped by the 
 banian. But above, the palmyra rears its lofty crest, 
 whilst the banian throws its shade round the tree beneath. 
 And so these two trees seem bound together by the most 
 tender ties of love. As far as its timber is concerned, the 
 banian tree is only fit for firewood. 
 
 The fruit of the shady tamarind tree is largely used in 
 the Pharmacopoeia, but in this country it forms one of the 
 ingredients of curry, and is eaten daily. The shadow of 
 this tree is thicker than that of any other, but it is considered 
 unhealthy and no one willingly camps under it. 
 
 The mango tree has often branches of an extraordinary 
 length, that stretch forth from the trunk at right angles 
 and cover a considerate portion of ground. The shade of 
 this tree is much liked, and its fruits are among the best in 
 India. It is a kind of plum, but of the size of a large apple ; 
 it is pleasant but not easy of digestion. Altogether the 
 fruits of Tamil land have been praised above their deserts, 
 and bear no comparison to the fruits of Europe, which one 
 may long for here in vain. The most remarkable fruit is 
 the so-called Jack fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) which 
 grows on large trees to the size of a big pumpkin ; it does 
 not, however, hang from the branches, for they would be far 
 too weak to support the weight, butgrows out from the trunk 
 of the tree. A green prickly shell must first be cut through 
 before you can get at the peculiarly shaped strong smelling 
 fruit. This is of a golden color and is highly prized by 
 the Tamulians who may often be seen carrying a Jack fruit 
 for miles, one fruit forming a man's burden. The fruit is 
 repulsive to the European by reason of its strong smell, nor 
 does he find it easy of digestion. 
 
 None of the trees in Tamil Land, indeed, are familiar to the 
 European. Every one is strange and unknown. And should 
 he by chance recognize some plant, such as an aloe or a 
 cactus, he sees here as a pernicious weed, growing wild in 
 profuse luxuriance, what in Europe is carefully tended in 
 hot houses and flower-pots. The aloe shoots up into lofty 
 stems, as high sometimes as a palmyra, the tops of which 
 are ornamented by bunches of flowers and blossoms, The 
 
 2 - 
 
10 
 
 aloe is often used as a hedge. It is only the flowers in the 
 gardens of the European residents which appear familiar. 
 These bloom throughout the whole year if they are only 
 irrigated with sufficient water, and are not scorched up by a 
 wind hotter than usual. 
 
 The forests of Tamil land are situated on the slopes of the 
 hills and mountains by which it is surrounded. In these 
 forests wild elephants are still found, but with the exception 
 of ' rogues,' which attack men, the slaughter of elephants 
 is now prohibited. For every tiger the Government pays a 
 large reward (Rs. 50) taking in return the skin. Many 
 hundreds of tigers, leopards, and bearskins are handed over 
 to the Government annually, but the race is not yet rooted 
 out, and many a Tamulian to this day finds his grave in a 
 tiger's stomach. It is by no means rare to meet English 
 Officers who have sustained lasting injuries in the sport of 
 tiger-shooting. Not long ago two Officers went out to shoot 
 one, but had not got very far when they came quite unex- 
 pectedly across a large royal tiger, which seemed to have 
 been watching them for some time. This sudden appearance 
 was so unpleasant to both these sportsmen that they at once 
 took refuge in a high tree, each thinking only of himself, 
 and endeavouring to get to the top as fast as possible. The 
 tiger made a spring, caught hold of one of the Officers, and 
 dragged him down. When the other at the top of the tree 
 looked round for his friend, he saw to his horror that he was 
 lying on the ground in the claws of the tiger. This at once 
 brought him to his senses and enabled him to recover his 
 presence of mind. After taking a cool, deliberate aim, he 
 fired, killed the tiger and saved his friend. Only a few weeks 
 
 ago I met a Colonel Y , whose right arm was entirely 
 
 disabled and who had to do everything with his left. He 
 was still, however, able to command his Regiment. He had 
 been 33 years in India without going to Europe and yet 
 looked quite strong and well; he belongs, therefore, to the few 
 Europeans who become thoroughly acclimatized. He told 
 us his tiger adventure as follows : " One day I felt an inde- 
 scribable longing to go out tiger-shooting, a sport with which 
 I was familiar. I therefore took a cooly who carried a spare 
 gun, and rode from the station into the jungle. I tied up my 
 horse on the outskirts of the jungle, into which I walked, 
 accompanied by my cooly. We had only gone a very short 
 distance when we suddenly saw a mighty tiger standing 
 right iu front of us. I at once took aim, but before I could 
 
11 
 
 pull the trigger the tiger was on me. With his paw he struck 
 me in the back and with his jaws he seized my right elbow, 
 and so down we went to the ground together. I lost my 
 senses, but as my finger was still on the trigger my rifle 
 exploded into the air. This unexpected shot saved my life, 
 the tiger was alarmed and bolted away. I stood up and 
 looked round for my cooly, but he, of course, was nowhere 
 to be seen. So holding my bitten right arm in my left hand 
 I trudged oft' in the direction of my horse. But I found 
 that my cooly had gone off with the horse, and so in the 
 most intense pain, with a succession of fainting fits I 
 had to make way to the station on foot. Not far from the 
 station I met several officers riding out, for my cooly had 
 spread the alarm that the tiger had eaten me up. For a 
 long time afterwards I hovered between life and death, but 
 at last recovered and then learned to use and to write with my 
 left hand with as much ease as I formerly could with my 
 right." 
 
 There are numbers of antelopes on the plains and in the 
 jungles, and they are often caught young and made very 
 tame. They are graceful, affectionate little animals. The 
 opposite are the buffaloes with their enormous horns and 
 stupid faces. They are fond of lying in tanks and pools so 
 that only their noses are visible above the water, whilst 
 their horns and even their eyes are beneath it. Their hides 
 are almost entirely destitute of hair and are of a blackish 
 brown. 
 
 An animal with an intelligent face on the other hand is 
 the milk white ox with the hump. It is a graceful beast ; 
 it can trot for miles and is an indispensable companion in. 
 Tamil land, for the native bred horses are small, whilst the 
 imported ones suffer like their masters from the climate, 
 and cannot stand much exposure. The food of these oxen 
 is a kind of pulse known as gram, which is used also for 
 the horses, and rice straw (Tor horses grass.) 
 
 The most wonderful animal of Tamil land is the long tailed 
 ape. In many districts the trees and the roads are quite 
 full of them, and they run in troops across the road or leap 
 from one tree to the other. Sometimes they are so bold, that 
 they will come to a house and steal away from the fire the 
 gram which is cooking for the horses. If ever I drove or 
 ordered them to be driven away, they never went very far, 
 but assumed a strange wounded look, and then in a short 
 
time they were again close by the gram-pot on the fire. 
 The reason of that is, that the Tamulians never do them 
 any harm or indeed deny them anything. In many of the 
 large Pagodas there are hundreds of them, if not thousands. 
 Some of the older members of the tribe present a most 
 venerable appearance. They know also how to maintain 
 their dignity towards the younger members of their race, 
 and frequently bring them to a knowledge of their proper 
 position by a well directed box on the ear. In some places, 
 as in Tiruvanamaly, they become a regular plague. Not 
 only is the large pagoda full of them, but every street and 
 every housetop in the town. Wherever they come they 
 can never be at rest, but must for ever be carrying on their 
 mad gambols. In Tiruvanamaly they have made it their 
 especial diversion to pull off the roofs of the houses. Nob 
 onl} 7 do they tear off the thatch aftid throw it down into the 
 roads, but they also pull off the tiles and merrily scatter 
 them in the streets. I saw some houses quite uncovered, 
 and it was not exactly safe to walk in the streets where they 
 principally congregated. The inhabitants of the town 
 appear to be perfectly helpless as far as these monies are 
 concerned, and the English Engineer told me that he had 
 advised the laying on of a thick coat of lime as the only 
 remedy of saving the tiles. They not only run about in the 
 bazaar, but coolly help themselves to plantains, of which they 
 are very fond, and no one ever dreams of preventing them. 
 Others again are more mischievous in their pranks, and run 
 cleverly behind the women as they come from the market 
 with a basket on their heads full of their purchases ; they 
 jump on their backs, pull down the basket, and scatter the 
 contents on the ground, whereupon a host of monkeys small 
 and big, come running up and help themselves to what 
 they like best, securing their plunder, and then running up 
 the nearest tree to enjoy it in safety. And 'they are allowed 
 to do all this only because of the excessive gratitude of the 
 Tamulians. The Hindoos have been reproached with being 
 a thankless people, and true it is that the Tamulians, at all 
 events, have no word in their language to express gratitude, 
 so that it is not in their power to thank even if they were 
 so inclined. But still I am not on that account inclined to 
 regard them as less thankless than other nations. For 
 though, for instance, the Germans know how to express their 
 thanks in so many different forms of speech, still there is a 
 German proverb : " Ingratitude is the world's reward." The 
 
13 
 
 Hindoos, however, and among them the Tarnulians, express 
 their gratitude in deeds even towards the monkeys, and 
 that after thousands of years. Their tradition is that when 
 Rama made war against Ravana, the Giant of Ceylon, who 
 had carried away his wife Sita, he was assisted in his expedi- 
 tion by Hanooman, the king of the monkeys, and out of 
 gratitude for this help shown to their favorite deity, the 
 Tamulians to this day allow the mad descendants of Hanoo- 
 man to unroof their houses and to carry on all kinds of 
 fantastic tricks. 
 
 Of the other animals the crocodile is especially worthy of 
 mention, which lives in many of the rivers and sometimes 
 reaches a length of over 20 feet. Its diminutives, the lizards, 
 run along the walls of our rooms, and catch the small insects, 
 which no one grudges them, and they are suffered in every 
 house. The fat frogs, however, which at certain times of the 
 year throng into the houses and hop about in numbers in 
 the corners, are not so much liked, though they are never 
 killed. This fate happens generally only to the snakes and 
 the scorpions, which are also partial to the houses. The 
 most dangerous is the spectacled snake, the cobra-di-capella, 
 though the black scorpion cannot be said to be much better, 
 for its sting is also said to be deadly, and even the cobra 
 cannot rob one of more than life. In the case of the cobra 
 death generally follows the bite in about three hours. We 
 killed many about our house, and the last was so savage that 
 I had to shoot it, for none of my people dared to approach 
 it. But the worst destroyers in Tamil land are the white 
 ants. Poor man seems to be quite helpless against these 
 innumerable and untiring enemies, and in vain did the 
 Governor of St. Helena offer a large reward for some means 
 by which they might be destroyed, for they seemed to wish 
 to drive men away altogether, by eating away the beams 
 and the entire wood- work of the houses, so that the build- 
 ings tumbled to pieces. In Tamil land also most houses have 
 more or less to suffer from these insects. 
 
 One cannot exactly call the land of the Tamulians a 
 beautiful country, but it is in parts very fruitful and is a 
 country richly provided with everything necessary to life. 
 The Tamulian is independent of any other country, on the 
 face of the earth, and requires nothing from Europe or else- 
 where, for his country gives him in abundance everything 
 he can wish or can use. A European on the other hand is 
 
14 
 
 far more helpless, and whether rich or poor, can scarcely 
 manage to get on without the help of Tamil land or its 
 neighbouring districts. Pepper and other spices have long 
 since been daily necessaries to the European, and the Pepper 
 Coast proper lies on our western frontier Malabar. In addi- 
 tion to this, Europe receives from the superfluities of the 
 Tamulians coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo, oil, &c. 
 
 Although not exactly a beautiful, still it is a greatly 
 favored country, where the rulers and the people have 
 undergone great expense to make the residence of their 
 subjects agreeable, and the journeys of travellers pleasant. 
 For the first are provided thousands of channels, large 
 artificial lakes, and magnificent tanks which render the land 
 fruitful, and in addition there are large and splendid 
 temples such as are not to be found anywhere else in India, 
 such as formerly existed in Egypt but which are nowhere 
 else to be found upon earth. In no other country of the 
 world are better provisions made for travellers than in Tamil 
 land. " Entertain gladly" is a motto which is stamped upon 
 scarcely any other country as it is upon this, for one can go 
 but very few miles in any direction without coming across 
 fine hostels (chattrams) to which are attached one and some- 
 times several courts, and which on the outside afford a wel- 
 come shelter under an overhanging roof, supported by 
 pillars which forms a verandah. In many of these chattrams, 
 travellers are gratuitously fed with a meal of rice ; in all it 
 is to be purchased for a small sum. These, of course, are 
 built for the people, for Sudras and Brahmins. Pariahs are 
 not allowed to enter them, and for Europeans they are only 
 a make-shift. Near these chattrams, however, there are 
 generally very pretty tanks, often built all round with 
 granite steps, and shady groves where the beasts of burden 
 find shelter, and where Europeans pitch their tents, if there 
 happens to be no bungalow, such as the Government has 
 built in many places for the convenience of European travel- 
 lers. On the roads one often meets a piece of masonry, 
 built in order that porters and carriers may deposit their 
 burdens upon it, and repose comfortably without stooping 
 down to deposit them on the ground, from whence it would 
 be almost impossible to raise them without help. 
 
 In one word for the Tamulian with his habits of life, 
 there can scarcely be a more comfortable or a cheaper country 
 than the land of the Tamulians. He finds everywhere 
 
15 
 
 what he wants, and his wants are not many. The country 
 yields water sufficient for bathing and drinking a necessity ; 
 and shade against the midday sun a luxury. The cloth 
 he wears protects him at night against the cold, of which, 
 his skin, owing to the constant exposure to the air, is less 
 sensitive than ours. The greatest cold in his country, how- 
 ever, is scarcely as cool as the greatest heat in our land of 
 Germany. 
 
 The coolest month in Tamil land is January, and in this 
 month the average temperature is higher than in New York ; 
 the average temperature is in July, the hottest month of the 
 year. During the coolest season of the year the ther- 
 mometer stands between 68 and 80 Fahrenheit, and during 
 the hottest between 80 and 100 in the shade. In many 
 years, however, it rises above 100, and for days I have 
 had it in my room at 103, whilst at night the difference of 
 temperature was but trifling. Should a Tamulian possess 
 an extra cloth to wind round his loins, and maybe a mat 
 of reeds, worth from threepence to fourpence, he is ready to 
 travel from one end of his country to the other, arid often 
 I envy him this power. 
 
 But the country which is "Home, Sweet Home" to the 
 Tamulian is only a strange and foreign place to the Euro- 
 pean. It is true that many of the difficulties are surmount- 
 ed in time. With ignorance of the language, many a harrass- 
 ing misunderstanding disappears, arid with a better know- 
 ledge of the character of the people comes the conviction, 
 that all is not bad which is opposed to our customs and 
 feelings ; and then many things become easier. But one 
 evil continues for the stranger as bad as it was at the com- 
 mencement, and there are very few who can say that they 
 do not fear it. I mean the pitilessness of the sun and all 
 the consequences which follow. Some are able to contrive 
 matters so, that with much care and management in shun- 
 ning its rays, they do not especially suffer ; but there are not 
 a few on the other hand, who soon either fall victims to it, 
 or have to leave India quickly, whilst others though not 
 actually compelled to do that, are in a continual state of 
 suffering, so that their existence scarcely deserves to be 
 called life. 
 
 It is clear that God has not only given the earth to man, 
 but he has also assigned to each people its separate dwelling 
 place in the world ; he has fixed beforehand where and 
 
16 
 
 how far their several boundaries shall extend, and where 
 they can best prosper. " The Earth is the Lord's and what 
 therein is, so let everything that dwelleth upon the earth 
 praise him." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE PEOPLE AND THEIR LITERATURE. 
 
 <; God has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell 
 on all the face of the earth/' and he has also redeemed them 
 all with one blood, and so at the close of the so-called golden 
 age (which went to pieces near Noah's ark), we see the 
 whole of mankind gathered together in the ark and then 
 spreading themselves abroad from Mount Ararat into all 
 parts of the earth, until the building of the Tower of Babel. 
 This seems to have gone on in one continuous stream ; and 
 from that time mankind is divided into three main divisions, 
 \vhich soon afterwards separated into numerous branches, 
 and now and then crossed each other. The Semites probably 
 remained tolerably close to the existing habitations of men, 
 for they loved their tents. The Hamites, however, full of 
 restlessness, wandered chiefly to the South, and founded 
 kingdoms on the banks of the Jordan and the Nile, which 
 countries they named after their family chiefs, Canaan and 
 Mizraim. To be sure, in those days they had no flat noses, 
 protruding lips, and curly hair as the negroes of Africa have 
 at present, who are also, but not they alone, Hamites. The 
 Japhetites on the other hand, with the blessing of " enlarge- 
 ment" resting upon them, soon spread in several directions. 
 Towards the West where they filled Europe under different 
 names as Greeks,Romans, Germans, Slavonians, &c., founding 
 different kingdoms and different languages such as exist 
 to the present day ; and towards the East, where they 
 established pleasant dwellings on the banks of the Indus, 
 under the name of Hindoos or Indians. Soon, however, they 
 were attracted by another watershed, far larger and more 
 fertile than that of the Indus, namel} 7 , the valley of the 
 Ganges, 1,200 miles long and 600 miles broad. Here they 
 founded their fairest and most powerful empires. When 
 they had filled the Ganges valley with their kingdoms and 
 commenced to spread themselves further to the South, they 
 
17 
 
 found another people, less civilized, it is true, but still pos- 
 sessing kingdoms and princes, with whom many a battle had 
 to be fought. For at that time there lived, nay, they live 
 there to the present day, the Dravidians, a Turanian race. 
 The Dravidians are divided into different peoples, by dif- 
 erent languages, as widely different from each other as 
 German, French and English. 
 
 The most important of these Dravidian races is that of 
 the Tamulians. They occupy not only the country, describ- 
 ed in the last chapter, but also the North of Ceylon and 
 the South of Travancore, on the western side of the 
 ghauts. There is a Christian congregation of Tamulians at 
 Bombay and at Calcutta; and Tamulians are to be found in, 
 Burmah, Pegu, Singapore, and in the Islands of Mauritius, 
 Bourbon and even in the West Indies. It is only a short 
 time ago that I had to send Tamil gospels and tracts to 
 Jamaica. In short, wherever money is to be earned, and 
 wherever there is a lazier and more superstitious people to 
 be shoved aside, there will Tamulians be found, for they are 
 the most enterprizing and movable people in India.* Their 
 numbers according to the last census amount to 16 millions. 
 
 In the land of the Tamulians there ruled in olden days 
 many kings, but three dynasties made themselves especially 
 remarkable : the Pandian, Chera, and Chola dynasties. 
 Although the two embassies, from Tamulian kings to the 
 Emperor Augustus, of which Eusebius and Strabo wrote, 
 may not have taken place, or may have been but the 
 making of Alexandrian Greeks, it is quite certain, that 
 firmly founded Tamulian kingdoms existed at that time. 
 For there can be no doubt that when we repeatedly read 
 of ol iravSiovQ and Maflwfa (3a<ri\iiov iravSiovif, reference is made to 
 the kings of the Pandian dynasty of Madura ; for here in 
 Madura, to this day, one of the finest towns of South India, 
 there existed for centuries a mighty and prosperous empire, 
 
 * NOTE. It is remarkable how the Tamil language gradually spread, 
 with the spread of railways and roads. Take, for instance, the district 
 of Cuddapah. Seventy years ago, Canarese was the predominant 
 
 &c., spreading in Tamil land. Telugoo shoves Canarese on one side, 
 and in its turn is displaced by Tamil. 100 years hence the whole 
 of the Madras Presidency may be a Tamil-speaking country. 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 and the palace of the old Tamulian kings is so remarkable 
 a building that at the present moment the British Govern- 
 ment is spending hundreds of thousands of rupees in order 
 to save it from decay and to preserve it to posterity. 
 
 In the same way Ptolemy's A^caZcj fiaaiXuov of the 
 refers to the Soraor Chola dynasty of the kingdom of Arcot. 
 The S in sora is pronounced sharply, and is also written ch 
 and pronounced Chola. The r in Sora is a letter peculiar to 
 the Tamil alphabet, and is sometimes rendered by a v and 
 sometimes by an I. Sora and Chola are, therefore, the same, 
 and the proper pronunciation is something between the 
 two spellings. The land of the Chola dynasty was named 
 Cholamandalum from which Coramandel is derived. 
 
 Similarly Ka^a fiaaiXeiov Krjfo^o^Q<a refers to the Chera (also 
 Kerala) dynasty, the chief town of which was at Caroor 
 (Car = black-oor = town.) The rule of this dynasty 
 extended over Coimbatore as far as Malabar and included 
 some portions of the present kingdom of Mysore, though the 
 boundaries and the capitals did not always remain the same. 
 
 The three Tamulian dynasties together with their 
 capitals, were, therefore, well known to the Greeks. Of these, 
 the Pandian dynasty at Madura appears to have been the 
 oldest and the most brilliant. Madura was built by Kala 
 Sakhara over the site of an old lingam said to have been 
 placed there by Indra himself. In a short time there 
 sprung up in this youthful and vigorous royal residence a 
 High School with 48 Academician sand it was here that the 
 Tamil language, in contradistinction to the Sanscrit dialects 
 of the North, was cultivated and developed. In time, how- 
 ever, the Professors began to swim with the stream, until 
 just as the Tamil language was in danger of losing its 
 purity, there came a Pariah Priest and weaver from Mylapoor, 
 not far from the present, then not existing, Madras. This new 
 comer, by name Tiroovalloovan, succeeded in obtaining a 
 hearing for his poem the Kural, written in the purest high 
 Tamil, and in this way effected a kind of revolution in the 
 language. Tiroovalloovan is not the real name of the poet, but 
 is his adopted title of honor, and signifies the holy Priest. 
 
 The Hindoos, who are never able to narrate an incident 
 exactly as it happened, and who, in spite of the praise 
 awarded them by the Greeks of being lovers of truth, seem 
 to have fallen into this bad habit in the earliest times, 
 
19 
 
 make a very pretty little story out of this incident which 
 they tell as follows : 
 
 When Tiroovalloovan came to Madura he proceeded at once 
 to the temple and recited his poem in the presence of the 
 king and of the Academicians, the latter being greatly ter- 
 rified. These tried to get him into a corner by all kinds of 
 sharp questions, but he answered them immediately in fine 
 verses. Then they said : Listen, O Vallava ! the last test 
 rests with this bench of gold ; if the bench will accept your 
 book, it is accepted ; if it does not, it is rejected ! whereupon 
 they spread themselves out and so pushed against each 
 other as not to leave the smallest space remaining. Ti- 
 roovalloovan, however, nothing daunted, approached the 
 bench, book in hand, which as soon as he came near, stretched 
 itself out so that he and his book found a place on it. 
 Thereupon the book commenced to swell so enormously that 
 it shoved one Academician after another off the bench until 
 they were all left sprawling on the ground. This was a 
 disgrace that they could not bear, and so they all went and 
 drowned themselves in the fine big tank which is still to be 
 seen in Madura. This probably means that Tiroovalloovan 
 found favor in the eyes of the king, which indeed was the 
 fact, and that his reputation soon surpassed that of all his 
 rivals. The bench of gold means, of course, the good income 
 of the Academicians. 
 
 This extraordinary Pariah Priest had also an extraordi- 
 nary wife. When he returned from Madura and again 
 took up his old trade of weaving, there soon collected round 
 him a number of men who wished to be his disciples, and 
 wanted to make him their guroo or High Priest. One 
 day one of the scholars approached Tiroovalloovan with 
 folded hands and said : " My master ! which is the better : 
 Domestic virtue, or the virtue of Penance ?" for Tiroovalloo- 
 van had praised both. Indian sages, however, are tardy of 
 answer, and are especially not in a hurry to answer a knotty 
 question. Hence the scholar had to repeat the question for 
 many a day and yet to remain without an answer. After 
 many such repetitions he obtained an answer arid one in 
 three acts : 
 
 Act I. Wife was drawing water from the well at the 
 time the inquisitive scholar put the question. ' Wife, come 
 here !' The wife let her earthern-pot fall to the bottom of 
 the well and ran to ask what her husband wanted. 
 
20 
 
 Act II. Tiroovalloovan, eating his breakfast ; and as he 
 like all poets is only a poor man, his meal consists of the 
 remains of the rice cooked the evening before, now very 
 much cold and flabby. Enter, inquisitive disciple. Puts 
 usual question. " Wife, this rice is too hot ; it burns my 
 mouth !" Hastens the wife, and cools the rice by blowing 
 upon it. 
 
 Act III. Broad daylight. Bright Indian sun. Poet 
 weaving, not verses, but veritable thread to earn his even- 
 ing meal. Enter, inquisitive scholar. Puts usual question. 
 Poet drops his shuttle. "Wife! bring me a candle to 
 find my shuttle !" Wife at once obeys, and, spite of the 
 sun looking in at the door, brings a dim oil lamp, by the aid 
 of which she finds the shuttle and gives it to her lord and 
 Master. Oil lamp at once throws a ray of light into the 
 inquisitive. " Light (oil) dawns upon me ! With so excel- 
 lent a wife domestic virtue is the better. Without such 
 an one, a hermitage is preferable. Inquisitive retires satisfied, 
 bub leaves us in doubt to whom the virtue belongs and an 
 awkward feeling as to whether many of us ought not to 
 have chosen a hermit's life. 
 
 This same good wife as she lay dying begged her stern 
 husband to explain what to her was a matter of great mystery, 
 and had puzzled her since the day of her marriage : " My 
 Lord, when for the first time I cooked your rice and placed 
 it before you, you ordered me always to put a jug of water 
 and a needle by your side ; why did you order me to do this ?" 
 whereupon her loving consort replied : " If, my dear one, a 
 grain of rice should fall to the ground, the needle is to pick 
 it up with, and the water to wash it." Then the wife knew 
 that her husband had never dropped a grain of the rice she 
 had cooked for him and died happy. 
 
 Deeply moved, Tiroovalloovan sang : "0 lovingone, sweeter 
 to me than my daily rice ! Wife, who failed not in a single 
 word ! Woman, who gently stroking my feet lay down after 
 me to sleep and arose before me ! and dost thou leave me ? 
 How shall I ever again be able to close my eyes at 
 night ?" 
 
 Tiroovalloovan had preserved the purity of the language 
 and given a check to the prevalence of Sanscritisms. But 
 soon a still greater evil made its appearance, emanating 
 indeed from the golden bench itself. Tiroovalloovan was a 
 Jain or semi-Buddhist, a kind of Indian rationalist, and did 
 
21 
 
 not care very much for the Brahmins and their gods. His 
 poem, however, was of such a nature that all the different 
 sects were attracted by it, arid none was exactly hit. Whether 
 by means of Tiroovalloovan or not, we cannot exactly say, 
 but certain it is that about this time Jainism, and, perhaps, 
 even Buddhism effected an entry into Madura, and was pro- 
 fessed for the most part by the Academicians themselves. 
 Even King Kuna, who is said to have lived in the 9th century, 
 belonged to this sect, so hated by the Brahmins. Kuna, 
 however, married Dasvani, a princess of the Chola Dynasty, 
 all of whom were zealous Sivaites. Queen Dasvani brought 
 with her to Madura the learned Sivaite, Nyana Samandar, 
 who soon found some adherents amongst the wise men. From 
 that time Jainism commenced to lose ground and was soon 
 doomed to disappear entirely from Madura. King Kuna 
 fell seriously ill, and none of his physicians were able to 
 cure him. At last he bethought himself of an expedient not 
 uncommon among heathen. He summoned the sage Sam- 
 andar and said to him : " If you can cure me, I will believe 
 thafc your religion is the right one ; I will embrace it and 
 will drive away all opponents." Samandar consented, pre- 
 pared his herbs and the king was cured. Madura's Acade- 
 micians were, however, by no means anxious to be turned 
 out and demanded another proof of the orthodoxy of Sam- 
 andar's doctrine. They would write holy words (mantirains) 
 on palm leaves and would place them in the Vyga river ; 
 he was to do the same, and he whose palm leaves should 
 float stream upwards, his religion should be the right one. 
 Perhaps they thought to frighten Samandar by this test, 
 but he agreed to it. Each party threw their leaves into the 
 Vyga, and behold ! Samandar's leaf floated up the stream. 
 Then there arose a mighty storm. Those Jains who did 
 not at once make themselves scarce were put to death or at 
 all events hunted out of the country, 8,000 principal men 
 in number. Then the land was quiet and Brahmanism. 
 again resumed its ancient sway. At the spot where the palm 
 leaf touched the ground, a temple was built and dedicated to 
 Tiroo Veda Nader The Lord of the sacred Vedas. Saman- 
 dar was made High Priest of the temple, and founded an order 
 of celibate priests, the prior of whom was to be always 
 called Nyana Siva Achary, and which order has survived to 
 the present time. 
 
 At the end of the llth century, Madura was burnt down 
 and even the king and his family are said to have perished 
 
22 
 
 in the flames. After this misfortune Madura never again 
 attained its former power and magnificence, although long 
 afterwards a Prince of Madura built a hall of pillars' which 
 is said to have cost 10 millions of rupees, and which is still 
 in a state of good preservation, and is one of the most splendid 
 of India's buildings. The wars, however, with Mahornedans, 
 which soon followed, never permitted the Tamil kings to 
 regain their former power, until at last the British power 
 came upon the scene and put an end to them both. At the 
 present time there is not a Tamil king remaining with the 
 exception of the shadow Prince of Poodoocottah. 
 
 As far as the literature is concerned it is for an Indian 
 language extraordinarily rich and by no means unimportant. 
 The favorite work is that of Tiroovalloovan of whom we 
 have just heard the Rural or short lines. It consists of 
 1,330 verses, each of two lines and sings of the three objects 
 of man. Virtue (denial), Possession, and Love. The rhyme in 
 all Tamil poetry is at the commencement of the verse, and 
 the language is much compressed and not easily to be under- 
 stood which renders it not very attractive to Europeans. 
 The Kuralisone of the earliest examples of Tamil literature 
 which still exist. A few other books of a not much more 
 recent date are to be found in a collection of the so-called 
 minor Poets and are learnt by heart in all Tamil schools, 
 heathen as well as Christian. The language indeed is so 
 high and difficult that each word must first be translated 
 into ordinary Tamil before the children can understand it, 
 but the innate love for such things as well as the intrinsic 
 value of the poetry enables them to overcome all difficulties. 
 The first of these books is attributed to Auviar Tirooval- 
 loovan's sister and commences thus : 
 
 Ara"m ssheya virumbu 
 
 Be anxious a deed of kindness to show ; 
 
 Ere eating, your alms your first should bestow ; 
 
 A benefit shown you, you ne'er should forget ; 
 
 Nor let sleep a mastery over you get ; 
 
 Be not idle to-day and idle to-morrow ; 
 
 Nor yield up entirely your mind to your sorrow ; 
 
 And so on for a hundred and eight lines. The second book 
 contains eighty verses of which the following are an 
 example : 
 
23 
 
 In temples to worship in truth is a great good ; 
 What a miser has saved will be spent by a bad man ; 
 Like two eyes to a man are reading and writing : 
 To the humblest who meets thee speak friendly and kind ; 
 In a land rich with water take up thy abode ; 
 Share all with thy guests ; aye, even to Nectar. 
 
 The third book of this collection which is said to have 
 been written by a Pandian King of Madura, Adi Vira Rama, 
 supposed to have lived about A.D. 1040, strikes a higher 
 note. The following are a few examples : 
 
 The mighty seed of the sweet juicy fruit of the palm tree 
 Though nourished and borne high up in the heaven, 
 Yields when grown to a tree for one man not even 
 Shadow sufficient : 
 
 The diminutiveseed of thefruit thatgrowson the Banian, 
 Though smaller than even the tiniest fish spawn in water 
 Gives when grown to a tree to kings and their four-fold army* 
 Of riders and footman, of chariots and elephants 
 Shadow sufficient. 
 
 Therefore : 
 
 The great 's not always great at all 
 Nor always little what is small. 
 
 Not always children those we bear, 
 Nor are our kinsman always friends 
 The married often not a pair. 
 
 The wise man knows no joy nor pain. 
 
 Another little book sings : 
 
 If thou dost a good deed ask not again in the instant, 
 What good will it bring me, what fruit ? 
 
 For see how the palm tree gives back at its summit 
 The water it drank at its foot ! 
 
 A benefit done to a good man 
 
 Lasts for ever, like writing on stone, 
 A benefit done to the loveless 
 
 Like writing on water is vanished and gone. 
 
 * The armies of ancient Indian kings consisted of foot, horse, chariot and 
 elephants, and were thus four-fold. 
 
24 
 
 As the beautiful lotus attracts the swan in the water, 
 
 So wise men are drawn to mix with each other 
 . Like the crows that by offal are drawn and attracted 
 One fool is sure to be drawn by another. 
 
 Till it falls, to the man that e'en fells it 
 Gives shadow refreshing the tree 
 
 Till he dies, to the doer of evil 
 
 Shows benefits only the sage, 
 
 Another little book of less antiquity sings : 
 Like a bubble in water is youth 
 
 And wealth like a long rolling wave of the sea 
 Like a writing on water our body 
 
 Yet we worship not, brother ! our God. 
 
 Look round upon those who are poorer, more needy 
 
 than thou 
 
 And rejoice in the wealth which is granted to thee ; 
 Look on those who are wiser more learned than thou, 
 And, then having banished all sense of conceit, 
 Say, what is my knowledge to theirs ? 
 
 The man whose heart is tainted with a blot 
 Takes that as evil which is done to him as good 
 Whose heart is free from any guile or spot 
 Takes what is done for evil as for good. 
 
 There are samples of the spirit of these little books which 
 have still so youthful and vigorous a life that they have 
 even found favour in the eyes of the western stranger who 
 has introduced them into his schools. 
 
 There is also no lack of Poets who attack rude idolatry 
 and mad pilgrimages to remote spots. The most pungent 
 of these is an unknown one who has disguised himself under 
 the name of Sivavakier. I will again give a few specimens 
 adapted from Dr. Graul's translation. 
 
 " O fools ! who wander restless and cry 'tis hard 'tis hard 
 In towns and lands and deserts to find the highest Lord 
 Whose all-pervading presence through earth and Heaven swell 
 Look nearer home, ye fools, within your breasts he dwells. 
 
25 
 
 To Kasi ! Kasi !* criest thou, until thy feet are sore, 
 When reached, is thy heart's pain less biting than before ? 
 But better tame th} 7 seH' and bid thy passions flee, 
 Then gaze within thyself; the true Benares see. 
 
 " I read and write and who knows more I pray" 
 
 Such are the notes ye asses like to bray ; 
 
 O worms ! who nothing know, can never know 
 
 Be wise, your writing madness to the breezes throw. 
 
 Brahminical cheat with the close shaved head, 
 With offerings, Vedas, and sacred thread 
 Let thy mummeries cease and wisdom learn 
 Ere in Brightness divine absorption thou'lt earn. 
 
 The following may serve as a specimen of Tamil proverbs. 
 They were written by that Tamil Solomon Adi Veera Rama 
 from whom I have already quoted : 
 
 A wise man's beauty is his blameless speech ; 
 
 A teachers' if he practise what he preach; 
 
 A rich man's if he helps his kindred poor ; 
 
 A king's < whose righteous sway is just and sure ; 
 
 A merchant's to increase his store of gold ; 
 
 A Statesman's who the future can unfold; 
 
 A host's to see his guests around his board ; 
 
 A wife's who never contradicts her lord ; 
 
 A farmer's if his plough can give him bread ; 
 
 A Mistress' if with gold she deck her head ; 
 
 A Sage's to repress conceit and pride; 
 
 A Poor man's honesty whate'er betide. 
 
 We often think, led by a liar's specious tone, 
 That words of truth within his falsehoods lie, 
 But, from his awkward stuttering speech alone, 
 We often think the true man tells a lie. 
 
 * NOTE. It is perhaps needless to remind the reader that Kasi is 
 the Indian name for Benares, to which hundreds of thousands of 
 pilgrims tread annually a weary road from all parts of Hindostan. 
 
 4 
 
26 
 
 Who rides in State for but a mile or more, 
 May have to walk until his feet are sore ; 
 Who feasted crowds may beg from door to door ; 
 Whilst those are princes who have begged before. 
 
 In conclusion, I will give a few examples of the warlike 
 poetry of Paraporul, also a translation from Dr. Grant. 
 
 (The king goes to battle.) 
 
 Like a sea surges up the terrible host 
 
 As by wind by its fury now goaded 
 
 And the Monarch storms past through the opening ranks 
 
 In a chariot with gold overloaded ; 
 
 And there flies round the host in its front and its rear, 
 
 In circles still growing more narrow, 
 
 A flock of black demons, whose wide gaping maws 
 
 Will feed on the fallen one's marrow. 
 
 (The Queen's sorrow.) 
 
 Who once filled the throne lies stretched on the field 
 
 And foes of his valour are singing 
 
 But " husband ! O husband !" exclaims the wife 
 
 Of the smile so tender and winning ; 
 
 And weeping and moaning she puts next her heart 
 
 His wreath all faded and goiy ; 
 And clings to the breast, which pierced by a dart 
 
 Is covered with heavenly glory. 
 
 (A Hero's death.) 
 
 As the lion who roams thro' the forest glade wild, 
 
 His eye with majesty flashing, 
 Yields his life without murmur when struck by a rock 
 
 That comes through the valley down dashing ; 
 So the hero with sword all dripping with blood 
 
 Looks round on the hosts that surround him, 
 Then flashes his e} r e, he raises his hand 
 
 And falls with his foes all around him. 
 
 (Self-sacrifice of the Koyal wives.) 
 
 And now the great kings of the mighty Sword 
 
 On the field stark and cold are all tying 
 And see ! the proud king with the giant-like arm 
 
 Where the slain lie the thickest, is dying : 
 
27 
 
 The world too is weeping, and now the sad wives 
 
 Themselves in the flames are all throwing, 
 But horror ! the death-god is not yet content 
 
 But gloats o'er the death piles still growing. 
 
 The oldest works of Tamil literature even the philosophical 
 ones, are all in verse, to which the Tamil language is pecu- 
 liarly adapted. Even at the present time much Poetry is 
 written and the people feel a preference for it. There is, 
 however, much of importance in Prose also, and at the head 
 of all stands undisputably the Tamil Ramayana, a free 
 rendering of the Sanscrit Poem, and as the Tamulians pride 
 still better than the original. 
 
 It is a work of two ponderous volumes, and not a few 
 persons earn their livelihood by travelling about like the 
 ancient troubadours, and singing the Ramayana with explan- 
 ations to their audiences, for Prose even is sung by the 
 Tamulian.s. The people do not weary of sitting up till 
 midnight listening to these minstrels and accept, of course, 
 every oriental exaggeration as a positive fact. As an example 
 of the Ramayana, I will give the description of the town 
 Ayodhia by Valmiki : 
 
 " In former days there was a mighty kingdom which was 
 called Kossala, and this country was happy and contented, 
 and full of cattle, of corn, and of riches. In this country, on 
 the banks of the river Sarayu, there was a beautiful town 
 named Ayodhia. All the houses in it were well built and 
 large, and the streets were always watered ; there were 
 many richly ornamented temples and costly palaces with 
 domes like the tops of mountains ; and there were lovely 
 gardens, full of roots and of flowers, and shady clusters of 
 trees laden with the most delicious fruits, and high above 
 all was the sacred and beautiful chariot of the god. The 
 tanks in this town were beautiful and magnificent beyond 
 description ; they were covered with white lotus flowers, 
 and the bees were thirsting for their honey, but the wind 
 blew the lotus flowers away from the bees, like modesty 
 causes the timid bride to retreat before her husband. Ducks 
 and swans swam on the surface of the tanks or dived beneath 
 their clear waters. The kingfisher gazed proudly at his own 
 image reflected in the waves, and snatching at a fish, struck 
 the waters with his wings. The plantain trees round the 
 tanks bent beneath the weight of their fruits like reverential 
 pupils bend before the feet of their master. The whole 
 
28 
 
 town was decorated with jewels, so that it seemed a mine 
 of precious stones, and was like Amaravati,the town of Indra. 
 Everything smelt of flowers and of incense ; glittering flags 
 were waving, and there were always to be heard the sweet 
 tones of music, the sharp hammering of arrows, and the 
 holy songs of the Veda hymns. The town was surrounded 
 b}^a very high wall inlaid with many polished precious stones, 
 outside the walls there was a moat rilled with water, deep 
 and uncrossable. The town gates were strongly guarded, 
 and the pillar halls of the gates and the towers were filled 
 with bows and weapons of all kinds. Each quarter of the 
 town was guarded by a mighty hero, as strong as the eight 
 gods who govern the eight ends of the Universe, and as 
 watchful as the many headed snake that guards the entrance 
 to the lower world." 
 
 " The town of Ayodhia was full of men, every one of whom 
 was healthy and happy and well fed on the best of rice, 
 and every merchant had his shop full of treasures from all 
 corners of the earth. The Brahmins constantly tended the 
 sacred fire, were deeply read in the Yedas and Vedangas and 
 were all gifted with the most distinguished virtues. They 
 were very noble minded and truthful, zealous, and compas- 
 sionate like the great Sages, and had their wills and their 
 passions in perfect command. All these Brahmin Sages had 
 three classes of pupils : first, youths who served them as 
 servants do their masters, then students who received from 
 them instruction, and lastly Brahmacharis who maintained 
 themselves and their teachers by soliciting alms. The next 
 after the Brahmins were the Kshatryas all of them soldiers 
 and always practising themselves in the use of arms in the 
 presence of the Maharajah. After these came the Vais3>-as 
 or merchants who sold all kinds of goods brought from all 
 ends of the earth. Last of all came the Sudras who were 
 always occupied in the worship of the gods and in the 
 service of the Brahmins. Besides these there were also, 
 jewellers and artists, singers and dancers, charioteers, and 
 footmen, potters and smiths, painters and oil-sellers, and 
 vendors of flowers and of betel nut. In this town of well- 
 fed and happy people there was no one who practised a 
 calling which did not belong to his family or caste, or who 
 lived in a common house, or who was without relations. There 
 were no misers, or liars, no thieves or scandalmongers, no 
 cheats or braggarts ; no one who was arrogant, malicious or 
 vulgar or who lived at another's expense, and no one who 
 
29 
 
 had not a number of children, or who lived less than 1,000 
 years. The husbands loved their wives only, and the wives 
 were chaste and patient towards their husbands and faith- 
 ful in the fulfilment of their several duties." 
 
 " Every one had a bridal crown, and earrings, necklaces and 
 bracelets. No one was poor or wore ragged clothes ; no one 
 was dirty or ate unclean food or neglected the sacrifices, or 
 gave less than Ks. 1,000 (annually ?) to the Brahmins. All 
 the women of Ayodhia were wonderfully beautiful and gifted 
 with wit, sweetness, dignity and every good quality. Their 
 jewels were always bright and sparkling, and their appear- 
 ance spotless and clean. In "the whole of Ayodhia, there 
 was not a man or a woman who was unhappy or discon- 
 tented, or melancholy, or restless, or frightened, or disobedient 
 towards the king. All were given to truth, practised hos- 
 pitality and honored (in accordance with their duty) their 
 superiors, their ancestors and the gods ; all the four castes 
 were subject to the king. No caste intermarried with another 
 caste, and throughout the whole town there were neither 
 Chandalas* by birth nor as punishment for crimes." 
 
 "In the middle of this town was the beautiful and magni- 
 ficent palace of the great king, surrounded by walls so high 
 that the birds could not fly over them, and so strong that no 
 wild animal could break through them. At each side of the 
 palace walls there was a gate, and over each gate the music 
 of the Mahabat was played every quarter of the day and 
 night, and within the walls and round the palace there were 
 many temples of the gods and filled treasure houses. In the 
 middle of the palace on columns stood the king's throne, with 
 many other pillars around it, and all the pillars and trie 
 throne itself were decorated with jewels. The palace was 
 guarded by thousands of warriors, zealous as flames of fire 
 and as vigilant as the lions that guard their caves in the 
 mountains." 
 
 "In this palace reigned the mighty king Dasaratha, the 
 king of the Kossala country and of the town of Ayodhia. 
 He was a son of Aya and a descendant of Ikswakus. 
 Dasaratha was very learned in the Yedas and in the Yedan- 
 gas : he had much prudence and skill and was beloved by 
 his whole people. He was an accomplished chariot-driver, 
 a royal Sage, celebrated in the three worlds, the conqueror 
 
 * Chandalas are considered lower than pariahs, and are said to have 
 sprung from a Sudra father and a Brahmin mother. 
 
30 
 
 of his enemies ; he always loved justice and had always his 
 passions under control. He was like Indra in riches and 
 magnificence, and protected his subjects like another Manu. 
 Satisfying all the wants of his people he proved himself a 
 true father to them, more so than the real father who had 
 begotten them. He took the revenues not for his own use 
 but in order to give them back to his people in greater gifts 
 and charities, like the sun that draws up the salt water of 
 the sea and gives it back to the earth as refreshing rain." 
 
 " His ministers were also gifted with every virtue, able to 
 understand his hints and were wise and constant to their 
 beloved king. Dasaratha had eight especial advisers ; the 
 first of whom was Sumantra, and his chosen Priest and 
 Instructor were Vasishta and Vamadeva. By the aid of 
 such ministers and Priests, Dasaratha ruled the world vir- 
 tuously and happily ; and seeking by means of his discover- 
 ers throughout all the world, as the sun penetrates the world 
 with its rays, the great Dasaratha was not able to discover 
 one person who was at enmity with him : his glory bright- 
 ened the whole earth." * 
 
 The Christian literature of the Tamulians is also very 
 important, and probably the richest in India. At the head 
 ranks the translation of the Bible and of 369 Church hymns. 
 There are indeed four different translations of the Bible in 
 Tamil, but none of the last three even approaches in excel- 
 lence to the good old translation of Fabricius. God had 
 granted him peculiar gifts in this respect, and as he was 
 unmarried, he was not only, like other Missionaries, ac- 
 quainted with the Tamil language, but it was the language 
 of his ordinary and almost exclusive use. To many English 
 Missionaries his translation is not sufficiently in conformity 
 with the English Bible, and they have accordingly again 
 and again attempted a new translation, but have not been 
 able even to reach the translation of Fabricius, much less 
 to surpass it. They have not been much more fortunate in 
 the translation of hymns, so that our German hymns are 
 used by almost all Tamil Missionaries, although now and 
 then set to English tunes. 
 
 The Tamulians are not only a talkative, but a reading 
 people, and men are often found reading where they are 
 little expected. Lately I went to visit an old Muthadar, 83 
 years of age, who was not able to get up but whom I 
 
31 
 
 nevertheless found reading on his bed, and without spec- 
 tacles, for his e3 r es had suddenly regained youthful vigour. 
 Instead of the Tamil poet he was reading, I gave him a 
 Gospel which he accepted with pleasure. 
 
 There are several Tamil newspapers and an enormous 
 quantity of Tamil tracts, which it is true are not all an 
 ornament to the language. In 1871 alone, 717 different 
 Tamil books, big and little, were printed. The "Christian 
 Vernacular Education Society" printed between 1862 and 
 1871, 1,088,320 Tamil school-books ; and other works which 
 were printed during these years (but without reckoning 
 the labors of the Bible Society), amount to above 4 million 
 copies. In no other of the twenty languages of India is 
 there anything like the same number of books printed. It 
 is riot, therefore, without reason that I have called my dear 
 Tamulians the most moveable and stirring people in India. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EXTERNAL APPEARANCE OF THE TAMULIANS, AND THEIR 
 DOMESTIC LIFE. 
 
 Tamulians on the whole are a dusky race of men, and in 
 color somewhat resemble a handful of roasted coffee beans, 
 with all their various tints from light brown to dark black. 
 They are smaller and weaker built than Europeans, though 
 more graceful in shape. Hair and eyes are always black, 
 and the latter have a peculiar sparkle and a look of cal- 
 culation. 
 
 The men always look intently at the person they are 
 talking to, especially if it is a European with whom they have 
 any business to transact, and they soon find out his strong 
 and his weak points. There is something watchful dog- 
 like in the look with which they follow each of his move- 
 ments, and it is remarkable with what accuracy they are 
 able in a short time to judge their man. The European on 
 the other hand is at considerable disadvantage. He may 
 mix with a Hindoo for years and yet scarcely more than 
 half know him. 
 
 Their clothing is admirably chosen and well adapted to 
 the climate. The men wear wound round their loins, a 
 piece of white thin cotton cloth about 6 cubits in length ; 
 
32 
 
 another shorter, but somewhat finer cloth is thrown over 
 the shoulder, and in this way they are thoroughly and 
 sufficiently dressed. Mahomedan influence has induced the 
 majority to add the turban which is generally white, and 
 assumes the most different and the most peculiar forms. 
 Those, however, who have remained untouched by foreign 
 influences either of a remote or a recent date, and especially 
 Brahmins, go about with the head uncovered, the hair being 
 shaved, with the exception amongst Brahmins of a small 
 tuft, and amongst others of a sometimes very considerable 
 pig-tail. This pig-tail always hangs behind except amongst 
 the people of Malabar, who, as is proved by their language 
 were the last to separate from the Tamulians, they carry this 
 tail in front, and thus also enjoy the advantage of seeing it. 
 
 The most disagreeable and the most repulsive to a Chris- 
 tian, but an important portion of the dress of a heathen, are 
 the idolatrous marks on the forehead. Three of these 
 marks, two red and one white, thickly plastered on the fore- 
 head are the signs of the Vishnavite. The forehead marked 
 with lines of light grey cow-dung ashes or indeed quite 
 covered with this mixture, shows the Sivaite, who 
 generally finds his forehead too small for the purpose and is, 
 therefore, in the habit of also smearing his chest and arms. 
 These caste marks form part of their ablutions and have to 
 be put on before they can take their meals. To appear in 
 public without these marks would be considered a laxness 
 in observance of religion. The holiest and the most zealous 
 of the Saniyasis begging priests not only smear their hair 
 for they do not shave and forehead with cow-dung ashes, 
 but also the whole body, and beyond this wear but little 
 else in the shape of clothing. 
 
 The women but seldom mark their foreheads, but when 
 they do. they look doubly demoniacal. In other respects 
 the clothing of the Tamil women is most practical, as well 
 adapted to the climate as can be imagined, and can scarcely 
 be surpassed in simplicity. One piece of seamless cloth 
 about 14 cubits in length covers them from the feet to the 
 throat, and allows their arms full freedom for any kind of 
 work. This cloth is generally colored widows alone dress 
 in pure white and varies considerably in value, but it is 
 everywhere worn in precisely the same manner, first of all 
 wrapped tightly round the loins and then thrown over the 
 shoulder. Brahmin women only tie their cloths somewhat 
 differently though not so gracefully. The ' delight' of the 
 
33 
 
 women (and the pride of the men) consists in jewels, silver 
 rings on the toes and the ankles, gold chains round the 
 neck, bracelets on the arms, and precious stones or pearls 
 round the ears, and in the nose. Even the very poorest can- 
 not get on without ear ornaments and armlets, which in the 
 absence of gold are made of glass. 
 
 In conversation the Tamulian adapts himself to the posi- 
 tion of the person he addresses. Towards his inferior he is 
 generally rough and of few words. Towards his equal he 
 is natural, that is to say, he speaks as he is disposed, 
 but towards his superior he is extremely polite, if asked 
 how is he, his answer generally is : " Through your favour" 
 or also "Through the grace of God and your honour's 
 favour I am in good health," or indeed, " your servant is 
 well." He seldom contradicts, even when he thinks exactly 
 the opposite, and always tries to show off his own ignorance 
 and littleness and his superior's greatness and wisdom. If 
 paying a visit, he never goes until he has obtained permis- 
 sion to do so, and he waits quietly and does not feel 
 offended when he is told that he can go. If he is anxious 
 to go and permission has not been offered, he asks politely 
 if he may be allowed to take his leave. Social intercourse 
 with Tamulians is, therefore, pleasant as long as you have 
 nothing unpleasant to say to them. And even at religious 
 discussions they are seldom discourteous, at least as long as 
 they are visitors or visited, and they always reckon a visit 
 as a great honour. When a crowd is addressed it is of 
 course different, no right of hospitality is affected, and when 
 there are many together courage increases, and the wish to 
 push one's self forward is greater. 
 
 The Tamulian's house is almost as simple as his clothing. 
 In many of the old towns there is not even a two-storied 
 house, and those of one story are as low as possible, for it is 
 considered decent and proper that the dwellings of the gods 
 should tower high above those of man. 
 
 The house of a man of the middle classes is from 30 to 
 40 ft. square. It has an open verandah towards the street, 
 a door in the middle, but no window. Through the first 
 door you enter a small raised room, which also has no win- 
 dow. Here the master of the house receives his guests, or 
 reposes quietly practising the art of doing and thinking 
 nothing. Through a second door, opposite the first, you 
 reach the inside of the house, and will then remark, that the 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 house is built round an open court, paved but not roofed. 
 In the middle there is a square hollow, where the rain water 
 collects and is drained off. Into this open court the doors 
 of the rooms open. Windows are not needed ; where they 
 exist they are an innovation. Towards the south there is 
 an open hall, resting on wooden pillars and open in front. In 
 larger houses there is often a second smaller court and a 
 small garden. 
 
 Tables and chairs are not to be found in a Tamulian house, 
 but now-a-days every well-to-do man likes to have a cot, 
 otherwise a rush mat serves as bed, as chair and table. A 
 few earthen and metal pots, round as a cannon ball, and a 
 box for keeping cloths and jewels, form the whole of the 
 house furniture. 
 
 When a respectable Tamulian, not exactly of the poorest 
 class, is born, a Brahmin is summoned, who is well versed in 
 Astrological science, and with whose house the family has 
 stood in connexion from the time of their forefathers. The 
 time of the birth is told to the exact minute, and the Brah- 
 min then draws up the horoscope of the child, going into 
 the minutest details of its history. This horoscope is care- 
 fully kept and is consulted on occasions of importance. 
 
 The sex of the child is of especial importance amongst 
 the Tamulians, as indeed it is amongst all Hindoos, because 
 only the son is competent to perform the funeral ceremonies 
 of the father. A man without a son is amongst the Tamu- 
 lians a poor man, and has to help himself by adoption, and 
 this of course costs money. 
 
 When the child is a few days old a name is given, and 
 generally one of the thousands of names belonging to the 
 gods, for the frequent repetition of the names of the deities 
 is held to be a good act, which consumes sin like fire. The 
 law, therefore, against using the name of God in vain is 
 understood by the Tamulians in an opposite sense. Daugh- 
 ters also frequently bear the names of the goddesses. The 
 ceremony of naming is a very simple one, but still it is a 
 ceremony and as such may not be neglected. If the father 
 hesitates between several names, which as there are so 
 many gods is not seldom the case, he writes down the dif- 
 ferent names, places a lamp before each and selects the one 
 in front of which the lamp burns the longest. 
 
 When the name has been chosen, the priest is summoned, 
 the parents sit down on the ground, the mother takes the 
 
35 
 
 child in her arms, and the priest gives to the father a vessel 
 with raw rice, upon which is inscribed the child's name and 
 the star under which it was born. The name of the child 
 is then three times pronounced, an offering is made to the 
 household deity and the ceremony is at an end. The real 
 end, however, consists in the feeding and rewarding of the 
 priest, and in the invitation of as many guests as the means 
 of the father permit. The name thus given remains until 
 death, but before his death the wife may never mention the 
 name of her husband. 
 
 When the daughters are from 6 to 8 years old it is time 
 to marry them. The boy is older, but to be in accordance 
 with the wish and the custom of the country, the girl is 
 seldom more than 8 years. The bride should not be taken 
 from a family which neglects its religious duties, which is 
 subject to disease, or which has no sons. In other respects 
 the walk of the bride should be like that of the ' young 
 elephant/ her voice soft and her whole figure blameless. 
 No regard need be paid to her mental qualifications. The 
 ceremonies at a betrothal are many and of different kinds, 
 but all have one result : spending money on the Brahmins. 
 The betrothal consists in the following forms : after many 
 preliminaries the young couple walk three times round an 
 altar on which burns a fire, and then prostrate themselves 
 in honour of " The unknown god" This is a most remark- 
 able instance in the wedding of a Tamulian, that the priest 
 orders him to worship the unknown god (Ariada devanei.) 
 In the land of the Tamulians, as in Greece, the number of 
 idols do not satisfy nor put at rest the craving of the soul, 
 which is longing after the one and only God, and he is 
 unknown ! After this, the wife touches fire and water in 
 order to signify her willingness for household service. Then 
 she eats with her husband for the first and the last time in 
 her life ; for afterwards he always eats first and she after 
 him. After these ceremonies, familiar conversation com- 
 mences amongst the guests, and if there happen to be any 
 learned Brahmins present, they recite for^the edification of 
 the company some such old sayings as the following : 
 
 Sloth and sickness, woman's worship, 
 
 Contentedness and bashfulness 
 An overweening love for home 
 
 Are six things, obstacles to greatness. 
 
36 
 
 The sage becomes, although devoid of riches, 
 
 An object of respect, 
 The miser is, although possessed of wealth, 
 
 An object of contempt. 
 
 Like dust on the feet are riches 
 
 Like the rush of a torrent is youth, 
 Like bubbles in water is life 
 
 Like dropping of water is man. 
 
 If with firmness of purpose thou keep'st not the laws which 
 
 alone 
 
 Can remove all the bars and open the portals of Heaven, 
 By the hot fire of sorrow thy mind will be surely consumed 
 And racked by remorse when the days of old age overtake 
 
 thee. 
 
 Will he, who clothed the swans in white, 
 
 And parrots dressed in green, 
 And decked with fairest colours bright 
 
 The peacock's glittering sheen, 
 Will he refuse the daily food 
 
 To one who honours him ? 
 
 Hence it happens that a marriage costs a lot of money, so 
 that it often takes a man's whole lifetime to pay off the debts 
 incurred at one. This alone is a reason, at all events, in 
 respectable families, that the tie should not be loosened. 
 
 Family life amongst the higher classes is generally quiet 
 and well ordered, and in the attachment and fidelity of the 
 wife to her husband, there is frequently nothing to be de- 
 sired. In the lower classes matters are, of course, much 
 more lax. Should a quarrel happen, the wife generally 
 manages to get the best of it. She begins by cooking 
 nothing for her husband, and thus touches him in the most 
 sensitive part. For in the land of the Tainulians there are no 
 hotels or dining rooms where men can go and get what they 
 want to eat. If this, however, is not successful, the wife 
 retires into her ' chamber of wrath/ i. e., one of the window- 
 less rooms, puts away all her ornaments, throws herself on 
 the ground and only comes out on the condition that her 
 wishes will be granted. As a general rule these are not ex- 
 orbitant, and are confined for the most part to a new cloth 
 or a jewel or two. This ruse of the woman, however, is by 
 
37 
 
 no means a modern one, but has all the authority of age, 
 for we read of it in the Ramayana, where the wife of the 
 noble-minded but weak king Dasarat retires into her ' cham- 
 ber of wrath' and so obtains the banishment of Rama and 
 the coronation of her own son. 
 
 It is not only in the confined family circle that a Tamu- 
 lian has such close family ties, but it is remarkable how far 
 this circle extends and how many relations it embraces. 
 It frequently happens that an official maintains a perfect 
 host of relatives, widows, &c., who come to him from all sides 
 and take up their abode with him. For their sakes he will 
 incur debts and would rather be ruined than send them away. 
 
 This very praiseworthy example of their family attach- 
 ment, which puts so many a Christian to shame, renders 
 it, however, very difficult for individuals to act according to 
 their own convictions. Individuality is entirely lost and 
 the wish of the many prevails, and in most families even 
 for the preservation of what is wrong and bad. And if by 
 any chance a member of the family becomes convinced of 
 the truth of Christianity, this close relation of the members 
 of the family circle becomes the greatest obstacle to his 
 conversion. 
 
 After the marriage, and bringing home of the bride, which 
 takes place only after the bride is of mature age, the young 
 couple generally remain in the house of their parents, 
 i. e., the wife remains with her husband in the house of her 
 father-in-law. Even though there may be several sons 
 married, they remain together until the death of the father, 
 when the eldest son steps into his place, and so in course of 
 time separate families are formed. It is only the daughters 
 who, when they marry go over into other houses. 
 
 In this way a death is no very great misfortune, if there 
 are grown up sons. It is indeed regarded as a misfortune, 
 but as a necessary one, and is generally accepted with 
 sullen resignation. The beautiful consolation of Rama on 
 the death of his father is still the consolation of the Tamu- 
 lian. When the news of his father's death reached Rama's 
 place of banishment, and he saw all around him in great 
 grief he spoke as follows : 
 
 In vain weak man for ever strives 
 To live as most he would desire, 
 
38 
 
 By Fortune's fancy he is tossed 
 
 First here, then there, on every side ; 
 Unhindered none can ever move 
 
 Towards the object of his life. 
 And hence it seems unreasonable 
 
 To mourn for those who've passed away. 
 That which is stored will dwindle down, 
 
 And what is highest raised, will sink, 
 The closest ties be cut in twain 
 
 And all that lives must one day die. 
 As every fruit whilst ripening fast 
 
 Draws nearer to its time of fall, 
 So from his birth does man each day 
 
 Draw ever nearer to his death. 
 And as the house most firmly built 
 
 Must some day fall in ruins low ; 
 So gradually all men must fade 
 
 Towards old age and day of death. 
 The night that once has passed away, 
 
 When gone returns again no more, 
 'Tis passed and vanished like the stream 
 
 That spends itself in ocean wide. 
 'Tis thus our days must flow away 
 
 And each one with it takes a part 
 From out our life, just as each ray 
 
 Absorbs at least one water-drop. 
 Why mournest thou for others dead ? 
 
 Mourn for thyself whose time and life 
 (Where'er thou goest or may stand) 
 
 Is fading slowly, surely, past ; 
 For death goes ever at thy side 
 
 Is seated always at thy hand. 
 And whereso'er thou wanderest forth, 
 
 Death, constant death, comes with thee home. 
 The face in wrinkles is drawn up 
 
 The darkest hair is blanched and white, 
 And who can keep his zeal and strength 
 
 When age has sapped his vital powers ? 
 We hail the rising of the sun, 
 
 And when it sets our thanks arise, 
 But seldom do we pause to think 
 
 That our own life may be as short. 
 How glad is each when joyous spring, 
 
 Returns with beauty ever fresh, 
 
39 
 
 But do we think each season's change 
 
 Brings each man living nearer death ? 
 Far on the ocean's bosom broad 
 
 There meet two little splints of wood, 
 One moment they are side by side 
 
 Then drifted by the tide apart. 
 Thus are our wives, our children too, 
 
 Relations, friends, our wealth and k goods ; 
 They come, and then they float away 
 
 And leave us stricken by their loss. 
 Like one who stands beside the road 
 
 And tells the wanderers passing by : 
 Lead on ! 1 too shall come behind, 
 
 And follow you upon the way ! 
 So each man here must surely know 
 
 That he the path will also tread, 
 His father trod before. Then why 
 
 Lament o'er that which must take place 
 And since our life must onwards flow 
 
 Like water that cannot return, 
 Strive each for his own happiness 
 
 And also for his subjects' good.* 
 
 With these beautiful thoughts Rama comforted himself 
 and his friends when the news of his father's death arrived. 
 But if we examine them carefully all these fine words only 
 mean : ' The father is dead and we too shall die. It has 
 always been so, and cannot be altered.' This, however, can 
 only lead to silent resignation and is no consolation. True 
 it is that the wise men of Greece knew of no better con- 
 solation : 
 
 " The same career was destined for the growth of earth, 
 And for that of her children. The life of one will blossom 
 And of the other fade and then be mown away." 
 
 And again : 
 
 " We children of a day ; what are we and what not ? 
 We men are but a shadow's dream-)- 
 
 That is the consolation which one of the philosophers of 
 Greece sent to another on the occasion of his son's death, 
 
 * After Professor Holtzman's translation from the Sanscrit, 
 t Plutarch's Letter of Consolation to Apolonius. 
 
40 
 
 and try as he will, man can never bring it further than this 
 shallow consolation which fails entirely to touch the heart. 
 How much better is Job's consolation, whose time was long 
 prior to that of Rama and the Greek sages : 
 
 I know that my Redeemer liveth 
 
 And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 
 
 But the Tamulians as such, know nothing of the conso- 
 lation of the Resurrection. There is, however, a change 
 taking place in the people. 
 
 The ceremonies performed at the death of a Tamulian are 
 many more than those performed at a marriage and are 
 continued for years. 
 
 The dying man likes best to be laid upon Kusa grass, 
 (a kind of bean straw) for that is considered to be a holy 
 and sin-destroying grass. The relatives all press to pour 
 into the mouth of the dying man a few drops of milk and 
 at the same time call their own names aloud, so that the 
 dying man may remember them in another world and not 
 forget this last act of kindness. 
 
 When the death has really occurred, it is the duty of the 
 eldest son to wash the deceased's head and to anoint it with 
 oil, and in this he is aided by his relations. The dead man 
 is then wrapped in a new cloth, is placed on a litter in a 
 half-sitting position, a little ground rice and betel are placed 
 in his mouth, his last food and last refreshment. 
 
 After the usual death lament is over, (the duty of the 
 mourning women) the corpse is carried out only a few hours 
 after death, the eldest son leading the way with some fire 
 in a pot and the death music following behind. Only the 
 male relations follow the body, the females remain with the 
 widow in the house of mourning. If it is a person of posi- 
 tion who has died, cloths are laid down in the road over 
 which the procession passes. These cloths are quickly picked 
 up and then laid down again in front, so that not many of 
 them are required, and the long white seamless Tamil 
 cloths are well adapted for this purpose. Arrived at the 
 burning place, the corpse is placed on the already-prepared 
 funeral pile with the feet towards the South, so that the 
 dead man's head points towards the North, the direction of 
 the Hindoo Paradise. (The Hindoos having come originally 
 from the North, they imagine their Paradise, where their 
 
gods are throned upon icy mountains, to be in that quarter). 
 The eldest son then walks three times round his father's 
 corpse, with a torch in his hand, and a pot of water on his 
 shoulder. He then thrusts the torch into the head-end of 
 the pyre, and lets the pot fall from his shoulder, so that it 
 breaks and the water flows on the ground : for " Like a broken 
 potsherd is the body, and as the water in it, so does our 
 life flow away." The son then bathes in some water near 
 at hand and goes straight home without looking round, so 
 that his father's sin may not come upon his head. Corpse- 
 burners employed for the purpose do what else is required. 
 
 On the next day, the son generally goes again to the burn- 
 ing ground, offers a cocoanut to his patron deity as a greet- 
 ing, collects the ashes of his father in a small earthen pot, 
 in which there is a little milk, and carries it to the nearest 
 river where the pot is buried in the sandy bed. The time 
 of mourning lasts 18 days, during which only one meal a day 
 is eaten, thereupon follows a feast to the relatives, and with 
 that ends the first act of the mourning. But every six or 
 12 months a memorial feast is celebrated, on which occasion 
 Brahmins are fed and cloths given away. 
 
 From thenceforth the widow remains under the protec- 
 tion and the guidance of the eldest son, who not only with 
 reference to her, but also in regard to the whole house, 
 assumes the father's place as the head of the family. 
 
 The condition of widows in India has been painted in the 
 most glaring colors. But on the whole we can scarcely say 
 that the widows among the Tamulians are worse off than 
 those of other nations, Europeans not excepted. It is true 
 that Life Insurances and Widows' Funds are unknown things 
 amongst the Tamulians. The widow lives upon what her 
 husband has left, (if he has left anything,) or if she 
 has children, by their labor. In the event of there being 
 neither property nor children, the nearest relative, even 
 though a distant one, provides for and maintains the widow. 
 And if all other resources fail, the widow will go to such an 
 one and make herself useful in domestic duties. 
 
 Here, however, as everywhere else, a great deal depends 
 upon the conduct of the individual. Respectable widows 
 are seldom despised, even in Tamil land. Cases of oppression, 
 of course, occur, for it is everywhere to be found in the 
 
 6 
 
42 
 
 nature of things that the strong oppress the weak. But it 
 seems to me that even in Tamil land the widows and 
 orphans stand under God's peculiar protection, who in 
 ancient times has declared himself to be "an avenger of the 
 widows and the father of the fatherless/' and that, not only 
 for Israel. There is, however, a widowhood amongst the 
 Tamulians of a peculiar kind. When the girl is married at 
 the age of about 8 years, she may be a widow at 9 or 10 
 years of age, and after the old Hindoo customs, she cannot 
 marry again.* It is here where the real misery of widows 
 is found. But even this now begins to disappear, since 
 influential members of Hindoo society have re-married their 
 widow girls, and though they have had to suffer for it, 
 they will certainly break the way, and be followed in a short 
 time by all reasonable parents. 
 
 Even the smallest village has its Headman or Magistrate 
 (Moonsiffdar) who rules like a little king and often oppresses 
 the weak. The other village officials are the Maniyakaran, 
 whose duty it is to collect and remit the Government 
 dues, and the Kanakan, who keeps the accounts and the 
 registers of the different holdings. (These registers consist- 
 ing for the greater part of palmyra leaves.) These three 
 are Sudras, and are the principal persons in the village. 
 Their posts are hereditary. Not far from every Sudra 
 village, there is a little suburb, not too adjacent, the 
 Chery, which is inhabited by Pariahs, who cultivate the fields 
 of the Sudras and get little enough for so doing. Among 
 them is a Taliyari (headman) whose duty it is to guard the 
 whole village, to catch the thieves (if he can get them), and 
 to send them in custody to the Police, for which purpose he 
 carries in many villages a spear. His adjutant is the Vetti- 
 yan, who also looks after the burial of dead cattle, &c. 
 Their posts are hereditary, and are paid by the grant of a 
 piece of land. With this the official personnel of a village 
 is complete. 
 
 In larger villages and towns, each division has its Moonsiff, 
 Mauiyakaran, Kanakan, Taliyari, and Vettiyan, so that no 
 one has particularly much to do, what the Tamulian 
 
 * The consummation in no case takes place until the girl has 
 attained the age of puberty (12 to 13), and though the marriage 
 may be celebrated when the girl is only 6 or 8 years of age, she 
 always remains in her parents' house until this occurs. 
 
43 
 
 especially enjoys. Next comes the village carpenter, who 
 squats down on the ground, seizes a piece of wood between, 
 his toes, and works away with chisel and hammer until ifc 
 is of the required form. If he happens to have a saw, (of 
 which, however, the teeth are set backwards), and an iron 
 plane in addition, he will turn out any piece of furniture 
 that may be wanted. Then comes the smith who also 
 squats on the ground and works in that position. By his 
 side squats the bellows-blower with a goat skin in each hand. 
 The smithy and its tools are easily transported, and the 
 furnace is built in a few minutes. To these must be added 
 the indispensable potter who shapes round pots, big and 
 small, whilst standing, by turning the wheel with a bamboo 
 and shaping his clay whilst it is in motion. Nor may the 
 barber be omitted who squats down and shaves the head 
 and face of the customer squatting near him. The washer- 
 man fetches his linen from house to house, and carries it to 
 the river or the tank, where he beats it upon a stone until 
 he has knocked the dirt out and some holes in. If the 
 river is too far, he keeps one or more donkeys to carry the 
 wash, but as these animals have to find themselves, they 
 are by no means Egyptian in appearance. 
 
 We must not forget the calendar writers, the Astrologers, 
 &c., but these are always Brahmins, and their science is a 
 part of religion, of which we shall speak in the next chapter. 
 Goldsmiths and oilmongers, confectioners and bazaarmen 
 belong of right to this chapter. The goldsmiths, particu- 
 larly those from Trichinopoly, are capable of turning out 
 the finest work, which is admired even in Europe. The oil- 
 mongers yoke one or two oxen to a long beam turning the 
 grinder, which fits into a hollow wooden mortar. The oil is 
 thus pressed, and the operation produces loud organ-like 
 tones which are heard for a long distance. The confectioners 
 exhibit all kinds of tempting dainties, which, however, are 
 only tasty to a Tamulian palate. The bazaarmen sell every- 
 thing that is required for daily life, and are often to be seen 
 in their little shops, reading or rather singing old books. 
 It is a remarkable and a good feature of the Tamil people, 
 that they are fond of reading. They are especially fond of 
 old stories written in verse, but they are beginning also to 
 have a regard for prose. Would that only what is good 
 come into their hands ! 
 
 The trades of the Tamulians are just as much hereditary 
 
44 
 
 as their village appointments, and within these clearly 
 defined boundaries there are many ancient families. The 
 smith knows for certain, that his forefathers were smiths 
 at the time of Manu, and the toddy-drawer who, with 
 great dexterity, climbs the tall, graceful, branchless palm 
 tree twice a day, in order to tap the juice at the top, knows 
 with equal certainty that his ancestors were palm climbers 
 even before the days of Rama. Beneath the hot Indian sun, 
 however, forms are easily petrified. The carpenter works 
 often quite near the smith, and sometimes on the same 
 piece of work. He lives also in the same street, but he 
 dare not eat with him nor can their families intermarry, 
 unless there exists some special connection, and yet these 
 two are the nearest akin among the hundreds of divisions 
 which are to be found amongst the Sudras alone. In the 
 same way, though the Brahmins have no hereditary trades, 
 and are generally called by strangers the Priest caste, yet 
 have they many different divisions and castes, none of 
 which will permit table-companionship or intermarriage 
 with the other. The Pariahs have also in the same way a 
 number of sub-divisions. 
 
 The Tamil people is, therefore, very divided and cut up, 
 for each man first looks at his neighbour's caste-marks, and 
 asks regarding his caste before he will have anything 
 to do with him. These divisions, however, have not been 
 made without method and plan, and if sin had not stepped 
 in and introduced itself into their forms, so as to have 
 distorted them into caricatures, and to have made their 
 influence bad in every particular, they would be much 
 less objectionable. As it is even the Tamil people afford a 
 proof that sin divides. From the time of the tower of Babel 
 down to our days, sin has divided peoples and families, 
 and introduced dissensions and quarrels into the houses and 
 the hearts of man, and all patching up and bringing together 
 is of no use, and only makes the divisions wider. It is only 
 faith in Christ, which by removing sin instils a new life, 
 unites families and nations and introduces peace into our 
 own hearts. It is true that oaks do not grow so fast as 
 thistles, nor does gold sprout from the ground like mush- 
 rooms. Faith builds for eternity and its structure cannot, 
 therefore, be raised in a night. 
 
45 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 RELIGION AND WORSHIP. 
 
 The religion of the Tamulians was originally a simple 
 demon-worship, and demons not only of good, but also of evil 
 influence were worshipped and were appeased by offerings. 
 Much of this demon- worship, and often of a very wild and 
 savage character, has lasted to this day, but as the whole 
 life of the Tamulians was altered by the Aryan immigration 
 so also was their religion. The stream of men that poured 
 forth from Central Asia and flooded the whole of the old 
 world styled themselves Aryans or nobles. One branch 
 established the kingdom of the Persians, and another found- 
 ed Athens and Lacedsemonia,* and then spread themselves 
 under different names and languages over the whole of 
 Europe ; another branch wandered towards India and took 
 with it an already well-arranged system of popular govern- 
 ment. This race, in introducing to India its social customs, 
 also introduced its religion. Whilst the aboriginal inhabi- 
 tants were content with worshipping the spirits of deceased 
 individuals, who had distinguished themselves by good 
 or by evil deeds, the Aryans brought with them sacred writ- 
 ings which they called revelations of God. It is true that 
 these sacred writings consisted only of poems dedicated to 
 various deities natural powers or of instructions regarding 
 the necessary sacrifices to be made to them ; but the Aryans 
 believed and taught that in these poems the deity had re- 
 vealed itself, and so they had therein an advantage over the 
 half-savage Turanians. As the conquering race, moreover, 
 they had little difficulty in introducing not only their political 
 system, but also their religion, which was so closely con- 
 nected with it. To understand, therefore, the religion of the 
 Tamulians it will be necessary to glance at the religion of the 
 Aryans as thus introduced. In order to take a clear and com- 
 prehensive view of this field it will be necessary to divide 
 this religion into three periods. Religion is the heart and 
 soul of a people, and whoever would know a people must 
 first make himself familiar with its faith. It is in their 
 religion that the mainspring of their outward actions is to 
 be found, and without any knowledge of their religion most 
 of the actions and motives of a people will be either not at 
 all or only half understood. 
 
 * According to Harm, the Yavanas and Palavas (Greeks and Per- 
 sians) take their descent from the Ksheytrias who had lost their caste. 
 
46 
 
 The first and the oldest period of the religion of India is 
 that of the Vedas. In the second, an essence of the Vedas 
 is prepared, and in the third, the husks of the Vedas are 
 dished up. In the first period, the powers of Nature were 
 praised and personified ; in the second, the origin and 
 nature of all things was enquired into by the guidance of 
 the Vedas, and the leaves of the Vedas were worked into a 
 powerful abstract or essence ; while in the third period, the 
 boiled-out Veda leaves are administered as food, seasoned 
 here and there with a few drops of the essence. I will treat 
 of these three periods in turn, but in anticipation would ask 
 for forgiveness, if in the second period I make more than 
 ordinary demands upon the reader's attention. 
 
 First Period. 
 
 The first period is the one in which the Vedas were 
 originated and exclusively used. The Vedas are such copious 
 and comprehensive works, that there is, perhaps, scarcely a 
 Brahmin who knows them all intimately, or indeed has 
 read them all through. The oldest and most important is 
 the Rig Veda, containing hymns which were, and which in 
 part still are, used in praise of the gods. The remaining 
 Vedas consist more of directions regarding sacrifices and go 
 very often far into details. 
 
 In reading the hymns of the Rig Veda which were, perhaps, 
 sung before the time of Moses, one cannot help being struck 
 with the idea that the composers or compilers had suddenly 
 awoke from a long sleep, and were gazing around them, 
 here and there, without being perfectly masters of their 
 senses. What struck them was always Nature with its 
 various powers and phenomena, and towards Nature they 
 turned with admiration, which breaks forth in hymns, and 
 with worship which found utterance in sacrifice. For in 
 the beginning the minds of the Japhetites (for these are the 
 Aryans) were directed towards the world around them, and 
 this is the reason that they wandered so far from their 
 original dwellings towards the east and the west. The 
 Semites, on the other hand, remained at home or near it, 
 and were more in the habit of casting their looks upwards, 
 of admiring the stars in heaven, and of contemplating and 
 worshipping them. The Hanrites, again, stricken by the 
 paternal curse, cast their frightened glances towards the 
 ground, and anything (Fetish) was good enough for them 
 
47 
 
 to make into a god. But the Japhetites with the blessing 
 of " enlargement" upon them, went out into the world, and 
 looking around them praised everything that was useful 
 to them, and endeavoured to appease by good words what- 
 ever could harm them ; and so by the Aryans day and night, 
 fire and water, clouds and wind, even animals and herbs 
 became regarded as objects of worship. 
 
 The very first hymn in the Vedas is addressed to fire, 
 (Agni or in Tamul akkini) : light, brightness, life's warmth, 
 &c. ; for in grey antiquity fire was on account of its glad- 
 dening and exhilarating influence not only of great import- 
 ance, but on account of the difficulty in kindling it by rub- 
 bing two sticks together was much more imposing than it ever 
 can be to the match-box race of our days. Therefore, and 
 because the want of fire was calculated to bring the whole 
 household into disorder, the son inherited it from his father, 
 and transmitted it to his children, with earnest cautions to 
 keep it sacred and never to allow it to die out. For, apart from 
 being indispensable for cooking purposes, it was used every 
 day at the sacrifice. The day would have been lost, as if 
 the good genius had forsaken the house when the fire 
 remained unlighted, and the sacrifice omitted, for the offer- 
 ings were thrown into the fire, which thus became the 
 receiver of the sacrifice and the means by which it was 
 carried to the gods. The ancient Hindus were, therefore, 
 never tired of praising the fire, and of pouring on its flames 
 clarified butter with long handled wooden spoons. The 
 following is an example of the first hymn of the Rig Veda : 
 
 c Agni, I praise, the great High Priest of offering, 
 
 'The god-like servant who brings to the gods all our 
 
 ' Possessor of riches, of wealth, without limit." [offerings 
 
 ' We near thee, Agni, with reverence in our minds 
 ' Daily at morning and eve." 
 
 " Agni, be ever with us as father is with son, 
 " And for our good be always near." 
 
 The second hymn of the Veda is addressed to Vayu, the 
 king of the winds, for this deity with his army Marats 
 probably often pressed the Aryans hard, during their long 
 travels over the inclement mountains of India. Fur cloth- 
 ing, as a protection against cold was, perhaps, not then 
 
48 
 
 invented. At all events our peace-loving ancestors pre- 
 ferred propitiating the adverse powers to setting them 
 boldly at defiance. It was for this reason that the Greeks 
 named the Black Sea so dreaded for its storms : Pontus 
 Euxinus, the hospitable sea in order by flattery, to pro- 
 pitiate. And the Tamulians to this day calls the snake 
 whose bite is certain death (cobra-di-capella) Nalla Pamboo 
 or good snake, in the hope, that pleased at this compliment, 
 the snake will be appeased and do them no harm. Accord- 
 ingly the Aryans praised the cold winds, gave them a father, 
 Rudra, and a king, Yayu, and addressed themselves first to 
 one and then to the other and sometimes to the winds 
 Marats generally. For instance : 
 
 " Approach, lovely Vayu, this offering is thine," 
 " Drink it and hear our petition." 
 
 " The offerers hear the murmurs of Vayu's approval, 
 
 " And those who invite thee to drink of the Soma juice." 
 
 " May the Marats who conquer the whole of the world 
 " Hear the hymns which are offered by those who would 
 
 praise them 
 " And bounteous food on us their adorers bestow." 
 
 " The mighty subduers of foes 
 
 " The loud sounding chiefs of the clouds 
 
 " The Marats all clothed in the rays of the sun 
 
 " Are visible now on the heights." 
 
 Rig Veda, i, 6, 14. 
 
 Wherever the ancient Aryans travelled, and wherever 
 they pitched their tents, they found the vast firmament 
 spread over them. This, therefore, must be a god and was 
 called Indra. But because envious clouds often hid the 
 face of the sky, it was supposed to be engaged in a 
 conflict with them, and , therefore, celebrated as the god 
 of war and awarder of victories. In addtion ; from the 
 sky comes the rain and it is, therefore, the distributor 
 of wealth; and because the old Aryans wanted only the 
 satisfaction of their natural wants, and gifts of the earth, 
 Indra was the most highly praised god of the Vedas. 
 They contain a kind of litany addressed to him which I 
 have often read to Brahmins, and to the closing words of 
 which I have quoted in contradistinction, Matthew v, 44-48. 
 
49 
 
 This litany embodies the whole tone of the Vedas, and, 
 therefore, deserves to be given complete : 
 
 Mightiest drinker of the Soma juice, 
 Although we all are unworthy of thee : 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 Handsome and powerful lord of nourishment 
 Thy favour for ever be with us and therefore, 
 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 Cast into sleep the two, each other regarding, servants 
 
 of death. 
 
 That they fall into slumber and wake not again, 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 May those who are our enemies slumber, 
 But our friends, O hero, let them ever be wakeful ; 
 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 Destroy, O Indra, this ass, our opponent 
 Whose praises of thee sound harsh and discordant"; 
 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 And grant that the storm in its crooked coursa 
 May alight afar off on the forest, 
 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 Destroy, thou mighty one, all who despise ua, 
 Visit with death all those who would harm us, and 
 
 Indra whose riches are boundless, O grant us, 
 Thousands of beautiful cows and of horses. 
 
 If, however, Indra would not hear even after such fine 
 entreaties as these, it sometimes happened that he had to 
 put up with reproaches, and it is remarkable, that even tha 
 tongue of a Hindoo which can praise and flatter better than 
 
 7 
 
50 
 
 any other, is still more eloquent when it blames and scolds 
 than when it praises and adores. For example : 
 
 Our prayers and entreaties, when will they reach thee, 
 
 O Indra ? 
 
 When wilt thou give thy adorers the (means of) maintain- 
 ing thousands ? 
 
 And when will my worship with riches and wealth be 
 
 rewarded ? 
 And my ceremonies bear their fruit in subsistence ? 
 
 When bringest thou, Indra, the leaders and leaders together? 
 And heroes and heroes to give us the victory in battle, 
 Who can conquer from foes the flocks which yield nourish- 
 ment three-fold, 
 
 And when wilt thou, Indra, bestow on us wealth in abund- 
 ance ? 
 
 When mightiest Indra, when wilt thou deign to bestow 
 On those who now worship thee, food in sufficience ? 
 And when can we join to our prayers, our thanksgiving ? 
 When grantest thou herds in return for our offerings ? 
 
 Give then, Indra, thy worshippers food in abundance, 
 Herds ever increasing and horses renowned for their 
 
 strength 
 Let the pasture increase, and the cows that are easily 
 
 milked, 
 And grant they may shine with fat and enjoyment of 
 
 health. 
 
 Our foeman be pleased to despatch the wrong way* 
 O mightiest Indra ! thou hero, and conqueror of enemies ! 
 O, may I not weary in praising the giver of bounties 
 O satisfy, Indra, with food the Angiras ! 
 
 Rig Veda, iv, 7, 3. 
 
 Even the night which prepares the way for the sun, must 
 be deified and is called Varuna, who is afterwards praised 
 as the god of waters and of healing. 
 
 The sun is praised under various titles, but occupies an 
 inferior place to that of the other gods. The moon is also 
 mentioned, but is still less regarded, as also the stars. Time, 
 
 * Of death. 
 
51 
 
 on the other hand, is greatly exalted, and much is spoken 
 of its " three steps" the Past, the Present, and the Future. 
 Its representative is Yishnoo, of whom a later period has 
 made so much. 
 
 But in spite of all this adoration of the various powers of 
 nature, the hearts of the ancient Hindoos remained unsatis- 
 fied, for in spite of all their gods they had no God, but had 
 stopped short with the Powers of nature, just as certain 
 men now-a-days pin their faith to the laws of nature, fill 
 their heads and mouths with nature, and nature's laws, but 
 refuse to know anything of the Lord of Nature or His laws, 
 and, therefore, remain empty in their hearts and restless in 
 their minds. Man was created for and towards God, and, 
 therefore, nothing less than God himself can entirely quiet 
 and satisfy him. The ancient Hindoos, who knew not God, 
 did something in which the ancient Athenians afterwards 
 imitated them, and addressed their praises to unknown gods : 
 
 "We will worship the great gods, and worship the small ones, 
 We will worship the young gods and worship the old ones, 
 We will worship all gods to the best of our power, 
 Nor may I forget to worship the gods of old times !" 
 
 Rig Veda, 1, 2, 4. 
 
 After these extracts there will probably be no one inclined 
 to assert that the Yedas inculcate the doctrine of the one 
 God. There is, indeed, no passage, which says (although 
 the idea exists,) that the sacrifices offered to one god are also 
 meant for the others. The god which is addressed appears 
 for the time being as the greatest and the most powerful, 
 for Hindoos love superlatives. At best can it be said that the 
 Vedas adore Nature itself and from time to time exalt as 
 deities and powers first one and then another of its pheno- 
 mena. 
 
 Their household life was as simple as their religion was 
 childish. The head of each family performed his sacrifice daily, 
 and to the god to whom he was most partial. Soma juice or 
 clarified butter, was the sacrifice, the household hearth was 
 the altar and the flames received the offering. Many offer- 
 ings, drink-offerings, were sprinkled on the ground, after it 
 had been first strewed with kusa grass. The larger houses 
 had an especial altar for the offerings. Priests were often 
 present, but they were chiefly employed in the singing of 
 
52 
 
 hymns, and, on account of their accurate ceremonial 
 knowledge, at the more important festivities. They were 
 rewarded by a share in the repast, the wealthy presented 
 them with clothing and princes with cows. 
 
 Besides these daily offerings to imaginary deities, the 
 manes of the ancestors had to be remembered. Offerings 
 were made to them not daily, but monthly, and not in the 
 houses, for they were, perhaps, afraid to have the ghosts of 
 the departed in such close neighbourhood, but in distant and 
 lonely spots, in groves or best in the vicinity of a river. 
 The offerings which had been brought were burnt, rice cakes 
 and melted butter were deposited with much ceremony on 
 the ground and the spirits of the departed were then politely 
 invited. No one doubted their coming, and this sacrificial 
 guest-meal was, therefore, held in silence. It is remarkable 
 that similar offerings to the dead, which imply the belief in 
 an ever constant community with deceased relatives, are to 
 be found among every people upon earth. Greeks, Romans, 
 and Germans, Chinese, Hindoos and the Red-Indians, had 
 and have their offerings to the dead, and their guest-meals 
 to the departed ; and amongst the Hindoos, this custom has 
 so grown into the minds of the people that even many 
 Christians still practice it secretly. 
 
 At special times and occasions, the Hindoos also had 
 animal-sacrifices, and mention is especially often made of the 
 horse-sacrifice. That, however, seems to have been so expen- 
 sive a sacrifice that even Princes quarrelled regarding the 
 right to perform it. The horse was cut in pieces and cooked, 
 and, as it seems, eaten. But before it was killed, ifc was held 
 necessary to arrive at a good understanding with it, and at 
 the same time to beg its pardon that it was necessary to 
 kill it, and to give the assurance whilst praising it with 
 many words that it was going the straight way to the gods. 
 The following is a sample : 
 
 " O may we not be blamed by Mitra nor Varuna 
 Arjunan, Vayu, Rithuskin, nor by the (mighty) Marats,* 
 If at this sacrifice the virtues we proclaim 
 Of the divine descended horse." 
 
 " horse, mourn not for this thy glorious form, 
 Thou goest now the way unto the gods 
 
 * Comprising day, night, twilight, the king of the winds, Heaven 
 the seat of the gods the winds, 
 
53 
 
 Nor shall the axe within thy body rest, 
 
 Nor yet the priest with knife thy limbs deform. 
 
 Thy chariot follows thee and men do wait, 
 Cows go before and fairest maids attend 
 Claiming thy friendship crowds of demons follow 
 And e'en the gods will wonder at thy powers. 
 
 Thy mane locks are of gold, of iron are thy feet, 
 And they can move as quick as thought can fly 
 E'en Indra lags behind, is not so swift as thou 
 The gods desire to have thy sacrifice. 
 
 O may we through this horse much wealth and riches 
 
 gain, 
 
 Herds of cows, of horses, droves, and many a vigorous son, 
 May through this lusty mare all evil be removed, 
 And may she on our bodies much power and strength 
 bestow ! 
 
 Eig. Veda, ii, 3, 6, 7. 
 
 Something like this is the oldest religion of the Hindoos, 
 the much praised religion of the Vedas. It seems to* be a 
 kind of Shamaismus with innumerable hosts of gods, 
 with consciousness of a life after death, and a certain kind 
 of undefined belief in the intercourse of families on this and 
 the other side of the grave ; of a one only God, however, 
 who has created and preserves everything, there does 
 not seem to be the slightest trace. Everywhere there is 
 nothing except the expression of the natural man and his 
 earthly feelings, without height or depth. 
 
 But the height and the depth which we so much miss 
 was found by Vayasa, the collector and compiler of the 
 Vedas who lived about the time of the first Judges. He 
 introduces the second period by condensing these so unpal- 
 atable Vedas to an essence or abstract which is worthy of 
 all admiration. We shall be able to understand this a 
 little better by going closer into this in the discussion of 
 the second period. 
 
 Second Period. 
 
 About the time of the first Judges in Israel, there lived 
 on the banks of the Yamuna a man named Badarayen. He 
 lived a lonely life and troubled himself but little about the 
 
54 
 
 world, but by degrees he absorbed into himself the whole 
 knowledge of the world. When he lived there were 
 many hymns of the Vedas scattered here and there ; 
 these he undertook to collect and to arrange : on account 
 of this meritorious work, he received the name of Veda 
 Vayasa, the editor and arranger of the Vedas and is gene- 
 rally known, simply as Vayasa. 
 
 Scarcely were the Vedas collected by means of Vayasa, 
 and by others similarly minded, when the remodelling of 
 them commenced, and the minds of all were agitated by 
 endeavouring to find solutions to the most difficult problems 
 of existence. Whence ? Whither ? and Wherefore ? The 
 various theories which subsequently gave the sages of 
 Greece so much employment, seem all to have originated 
 in India. W r hat Thales arid the lonians taught regarding 
 the eternity of matter, and of matter as the origin of every- 
 thing that is, all this and much more had been taught by the 
 sages of the Sankhia School five to six hundred years before 
 them. And though in Greece Democritus was held to be 
 the inventor of the theory of atoms, the learned men of the 
 Nyaya School had inculcated this doctrine long before his 
 time. But neither of these theories was sufficient for the 
 sages of India. They started again from the Vedas, and 
 Vayasa compiled the Brahma Satras, (also called Attar 
 Mimansa) a theology of the Vedas, or rather an essence of 
 them ; and gave to them a zest which has not its equal. 
 
 This so-called Vedanta School has attained great celebrity 
 in India and still leads the whole of the national thought. 
 Not only the learned men, but also the lower classes of the 
 people, are so imbued with it, that they regard all 
 things from its point of view, and give their answers in 
 accordance with its spirit, although many of them may, per- 
 haps, never have heard of the name Vedanta. It is, there- 
 fore, absolutely necessary to treat of this period in some 
 detail, since otherwise it would be difficult to understand 
 the people, its ways, or its motives of thought. 
 
 In reading the Rig Veda, it is almost incomprehensible 
 how Vayasa could have prepared from these so insipid Veda 
 leaves, an essence as powerful as the Vedanta is. We, how- 
 ever, are as far removed from the time and its method of 
 thought, as Vayasa was nearly connected with it, so that 
 
55 
 
 we have no right to be surprised that he should have been 
 able to accomplish what to us would seem impossible. 
 
 There is especially one Hymn the longest in the Rig 
 Veda, which the Vedanta takes as a foundation. The 
 following are a few examples : 
 
 " I gazed at the lord of mankind with his sons who are 
 
 seven 
 
 The joygiving, beneficent object of our adoration 
 
 Who has also one brother, all things with his spirit per- 
 vading, 
 
 And yet a third brother well nourished with offerings of 
 
 butter. 
 
 Say ! who saw at His birth or perceived the original Being ? 
 What is the mortal that holds in itself the Immortal ? 
 From the earth, breath and blood ; but the Soul, whence 
 
 comes it ? 
 Who can find the sages to wisely answer this question ? 
 
 My senses unripe, and not comprehending the meaning, 
 I grasp to find things, which seem from the gods to be 
 
 hidden, 
 
 What mean the seven threads which the sages have spread 
 To shut out the Sun which gives to all things their being ? 
 
 Ignorant, I, of the wise men I seek for this knowledge, 
 Myself not a wise man I anxiously ask for this wisdom, 
 Explain what is that which alone sustains the six spheres, 
 And preserves in its form the thing which is unborn ? 
 
 All the gods take their seats in the highest of Heavens, 
 In the holy immutable text of the Vedas. 
 What can he who ignores this, do with the Vedas 
 Those only who know this, those only are perfect. 
 
 They have named him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, 
 And he is the heavenly light- winged Garutmat ; 
 For the priests who are learned give to one many names 
 When they speak of Agni, Yama, Matariswan. 
 
 Who perceives the Lord of the World as the Highest con- 
 joined with the lowly 
 
 And the lowly conjoined with the Highest, is wise ; 
 But who in the world has ever been found to explain 
 Whence the spirit divine in its strength is engendered ? 
 
56 
 
 This is the garb ia which such darkly worded questions 
 are put by those who lived in grey antiquity. Vayasa and 
 his friends applied themselves to find the answers. In 
 attempting this, however, they did not look around them, 
 like those of the Sankya School had done, and who got no 
 further than Materialism, without approaching the divine 
 spirit ; nor did they cast their eyes to the ground, as 
 Budha did after them, and who sitting under the shady 
 Banian tree, could not, or else stubbornly, would not, see 
 the heaven above him ; who found no peace in an existence 
 that was always commencing and always ending, and so 
 took refuge in an empty Nothing, and taught, that dead 
 emptiness. Nirvana was the only thing unalterable and 
 eternal. The Vedantists raised their eyes boldly towards 
 heaven and gazed, and felt in their spirits the eternal spirit 
 God. Of this absolute spirit the Vedantists mention the 
 following qualities : " Constancy Amplitude Unity 
 Highest being Protection Rest Truth Entirety Ab- 
 soluteness Impartiality Omniscience Witness Know- 
 ledge Purity Purpose Eternity Life Reality Aether 
 Brilliance Self-redemptiom Penetration" and as many 
 negative qualities as : " Unmoveable undimmed immortal 
 
 unfathomable spotless unspeakable immaterial 
 
 painless without form without parts unborn endless 
 without locality memberless without commencement 
 without body changeless without duality without at- 
 tributes. 
 
 Especial stress is laid on this last expression without 
 attributes, and this definition is again and again insisted 
 upon. Brahma is nirguna. God is without attributes. The 
 Vedanta puts the following proposition : " Is it not as unrea- 
 sonable to speak of the attributes of a Being without attri- 
 butes as to talk of a barren mother ?" It proceeds to give the 
 answer : " No wise men are so perfect that we can at once 
 argue with them esoterically. Exoterically we speak of 
 God's attributes, in order to make his Being apparent ; but 
 esoterically we maintain that God is without attributes. 
 
 Objection. But a Being without attributes is incredible. 
 If God has not attributes he does not exist, and you are 
 Nihilists. 
 
 Answer. God only exists. He only and nothing else 
 but He. 
 
57 
 
 Question. What attributes could be assigned to this 
 advaita Being ? 
 
 A nswer. Omni potence mniscien ce Justice, &c. 
 Question. What is omniscience, &c., if it has no object ? 
 Answer. The object is the world. 
 
 Question. Is then the world an existence outside God ? 
 Is it an object as compared with Him ? 
 
 God alone is existence (sat) without whom nothing 
 can exist. That, however, which exists is Thought (chit), 
 and this thought is actual joy (ananda} ; the joy, how- 
 ever, exists only in thought, and is Thought. This thought, 
 therefore, which is joy, can only be defined as " Joy 
 Thought." This it is that exists, and this only. What 
 exists, this existence, itself is nothing more than joy 
 thought; existence (sat), thought (chit), and joy (ananda), 
 are, therefore, only three different names of the same 
 thing. For what exists is only Thought, and is only joy, 
 and this eternal existence, this Joy Thought, is Brahma 
 the absolute as the formula teaches : " Brahma is that 
 which exists, namely, Thought which is Joy" 
 
 or in other words : 
 
 " The Real is the Intellectual, and the Intellectual is at 
 the same time the Real. For if Intellectuality were sepa- 
 rated from Reality, Reality would become Materiality 
 where then would be the power that maintains the matter ? 
 Reality and Intellectuality in harmonious conjunction con- 
 stitute Bliss-consciousness." 
 
 God, therefore, has no attributes, at least such as the 
 Vedanta terms attributes. Existing Thought, which Thought 
 exists as joy is, however, not an attribute. Something, 
 therefore, does exist. Joy Thought is what exists the 
 absolute BrahmaGod. 
 
 The conception which the Vedanta has of God, would, 
 however, be very imperfectly understood, if we failed to 
 glance at what the Vedanta teaches regarding the world, 
 and especially regarding man. We will, therefore, first 
 look at the world of the Vedanta. In so doing we must 
 not forget by what means the Vedanta gained its knowledge. 
 The Philosophers of the old western world, regarded the world 
 itself, when enquiring into the nature of all things. The 
 
 8 
 
58 
 
 world, therefore, engrossed their looks and their senses, and 
 they became Pantheists. It is true that they manufactured 
 gods, but there were only powers of nature, like Zeus and his 
 brethren, and behind all stood stern Fate, the cold, heartless 
 and unconscious necessity of Nature. Beyond this there 
 was nothing, arid nothing, therefore, beyond nature. 
 
 The sages of the Vedanta, started in an exactly opposite 
 direction, and reached a point diametrically opposed. They 
 raised their eyes only too boldly towards heaven, and gazed, 
 undaunted, hito the sun of the eternal spirit, until, blinded 
 by its glare, they were scarcely able to see the world or 
 even themselves. In a contemplation of the eternal spirit, 
 their minds found a resting-place, and they rested here 
 securely, whilst not only their cousins on the Persian High- 
 lands had remained sticking in dualism, but their own 
 brethren, the sages of the Sankhya, had stopped short 
 with Prakriti or Pradhan (eternal matter), and those of 
 the Nyaya School were floundering in eternal anus (atoms). 
 We are, therefore, bound to be thankful to the Vedanta, 
 that it did not take to the common high road of eternal 
 matter, but dared a bold flight towards the eternal spirit, 
 even though we must lament that the fate of Icarus 
 awaited it. 
 
 But to descend to the world : 
 
 God is the absolute spirit, perfect, alone, and blissful ! 
 In the second instance He is the causing Principle, and in 
 the fourth instance only, is He the cause of the material 
 world. The world proceeds from the will of God ; but 
 God is not merely the effecting cause of the world, not 
 merely the potter who fashions the clay into the jug. Nor 
 is the world a metamorphosis of God, in which the original 
 cause (God) resigns its original form and takes upon itself 
 another (as curdled milk resigns its hitherto-forrn and 
 takes another.) God remains unchanged, after, as well as 
 before the creation of the world, (or to speak more correctly 
 the world's appearance). But the whole world from Aether 
 to corporeal beings appears in God as in its material cause. 
 In God everything exists, and in God everything ends. 
 Irrespective of God, therefore, nothing else exists. " Since 
 without the clay the jug is not apparent, so, irrespective of 
 God, the world does not exist. Therefore God is not only 
 the causa efficiens." Panckadasa, pir. 13, 1. 
 
59 
 
 The Vedanta endeavours again and again to prove that 
 God is not merely the causa efficiens, in the most emphatic 
 language. It is bound to do so, since otherwise its chief 
 doctrine, the advaita, would fall to the ground, to which 
 doctrine it clings with a certain fixedness of purpose, and 
 out of love to which it does not shrink from the most 
 enormous consequences. 
 
 It therefore calls God, though not without hesitation, and 
 in the fourth instance only, the material cause of the world. 
 The world is the clay out of which the jug is made. But 
 it endeavours at once to temper the bad impression of this 
 consequence, by explaining this clay to be only a semblance 
 and shadow of the eternal spirit, so that we feel how it is 
 grasping after the idea of a creation ex nihiio without 
 being able to find it ; a discovery indeed which can only 
 be vouchsafed by God himself. 
 
 The Vedanta implies that the Vedas also show God to be 
 the material cause of the world and it saj^s : "A Shastra, such 
 as the Rig Veda, which is gifted with omniscience, can have 
 had its origin in omniscience only." The Bagavadgita not 
 only implies this, but teaches it so emphatically, that one 
 who was ignorant of the reason why the Vedanta parades 
 such expressions, and insists upon God not being the causa 
 efficiens merely, would find difficulty in understanding 
 them. The reason, however, is to be found in the contrary 
 doctrine of the Sankya and Nyaya sages, who wished to 
 make of God the mere potter, or manufacturer of the already 
 existing clay, and so to again revive the old story of Dvaita 
 (Dualism). 
 
 The passages of the Bagavadgita, to which I have alluded, 
 are the following : " I am the creation and the end of the 
 whole world, and all things depend upon Me, as beads 
 hang upon a string. I am moisture in water, the Light in 
 the sun and moon, adoration in the Vedas, colour in the 
 sky, human nature in men, sweet savour in earth, glory in 
 the fountain of Light. I am the Life in all things, and 
 know : I am the eternal seed of the whole of Nature." 
 Bagavadgita, vii. " The man whose mind is occupied with 
 this contemplation* who regards all things as equal, sees 
 the eternal spirit in all things and all things in the eternal 
 spirit ; who sees me in all things, and all things in me ; 
 
60 
 
 him will I not forsake, nor shall he forsake me. I am the 
 adoration, I am the offering, I am the invocation, I am the 
 ceremonies performed to the manes of ancestors, 1 am the 
 food (which is offered to them), and I am the sacrifice, and 
 also the fire which consumes the sacrifice. I am the mystic 
 OM : I am the Rig, the Sam, and the Yajur Veda." Baya- 
 vadgita, ix. 
 
 God, therefore, is everything in everything, and the 
 world is only an appearance, like water in a desert mirage, 
 or in other, and its own words, "As a town may be reflected 
 in a mirror, so should the world be seen in the eternal 
 spirit." " All things effected must be seen in the form of the 
 effecting cause." Panchadasa, xiii, 3. " Even though a 
 man appears reflected in water with his head upside down, 
 \ve know perfectly well that it is nothing more than an 
 appearance ; it does not exist. In the same way when the 
 working (of yonder Sakti) appears, the knowledge that it 
 is a mere reflection will be its destruction. Such a know- 
 ledge as this is the highest aim of the Advaita sage." Ibid. 
 
 The assertion that the world is nothing more than a 
 mere appearance, is repeatedly made in various similes. 
 For, if the world had an existence of its own, there would 
 again be a dualism which the Vedanta, and rightly, holds 
 in horror. The world of the Vedanta is however not an 
 empty appearance. It is not a nihilum but merely an 
 inanitas " as God is Reality, Intelligence (Thought) and 
 Bliss, so is the world, unreality, stupidity and pain, and 
 consists only of a name and a form." 
 
 " The Maya which existed as an undeveloped power 
 before the creation, produced first the modification which 
 is called Aether. God only is existence ; all names and all 
 forms took their origin from the creation, and will cease at 
 the end of the world, and God only remains for ever." 
 "The Maya has two attributes: materiality and confusion. 
 Its images are material, but no one can say with, reference 
 to them either that they are, or that they are not." All 
 Maya images are, however, " Realities, within the worldly 
 creation. They cannot be defined by philosophical defini- 
 tions, but to the Vedanta sage they do not exist." " When 
 waking, they appear, like an unrolled picture ; in deep 
 sleep, however, in a state of trance, in the ecstasy of con- 
 templation, they do not appear, like the picture when folded 
 up." Panchadasa, i, 3. 
 
61 
 
 The world, therefore,is mere appearance, inanitas, vanitas, 
 avam ; but not so that trees are not wood, gold and silver 
 not metals, or that men and animals have not life. For, 
 " within the worldly creation Maya images are realities." 
 The world, however, is an appearance, because it has no 
 independent, no self-standing existence ; because it once 
 was not, because it once will not be, and is, therefore, only 
 in a state of transition. The world is only an image, but 
 an image of God, a revelation of God, or, according to a 
 favorite simile of the Vedanta, a picture more or less un- 
 folded, according to the circumstances of man. The picture 
 consists only of colours, which could form no picture, unless 
 they were painted on canvass. The canvass that bears the 
 picture is God. The fool cannot distinguish between the 
 two ; he looks at the picture only and looks no further. 
 The wise man, however, distinguishes both, and knows 
 that the canvass bears the picture, and that without the 
 canvass there could be no painting. " To recognize what 
 is, as it is, is an object worthy of man. To hold that 
 which is not, as what is, is unworthy of Him." The can- 
 vass was, before the painting appeared upon it. The colours 
 may be washed off, but the canvass will still remain what 
 it was before. In other words, " God was, as He is, before 
 the world began. The world proceeded from His 
 will, but did not alter the being of God. The world will 
 pass away according to God's will, but He will remain 
 unchanged. The Vedanta, therefore, is Vedanta, and not 
 Pantheism, and desires only that men should not remain 
 floundering in the outward appearance of things, like fools, 
 but should recognize that all this is avam, and should 
 struggle through this to the eternal spirit, who alone is 
 Reality. 
 
 But let us turn our glances from the world towards man. 
 What is man ? A great and difficult problem ! Above the 
 hall in which this problem is to be discussed the Vedanta 
 inscribes the words, literally : " If thou knowest thyself, 
 no harm can befall thee !" as if it had so learnt the saying 
 from Chilon, the Lacedemonian or he from the Vedanta. 
 
 Those only know themselves, who can distinguish between 
 the body and that which dwells within the body. What then 
 is that which dwells within me ? What is my ego ? 
 
 I am the ego, says the fool. / live and feel, / see and 
 
62 
 
 hear, my body is my ego. But the body which becomes 
 ashes is only a modification of the elements to which it 
 returns, and cannot, therefore, be the ego* 
 
 Nor is it, say other fools, but my intellect, my senses, 
 these form my ego. But, intellect and senses are temporarily 
 dead in sleep, or in a trance, &c. These, therefore, cannot 
 be the ego. 
 
 My soul is my ego, says the learned man. But what is 
 the soul ? Surely not the living soul of life (Jeeva) as 
 those " cheats of the Sankhya pretend." The soul is only a 
 refined appearance of the elements, in contrast to the body 
 which is a gross one. 
 
 No ! that is not the ego. But Isa, the universal soul is 
 the ego, say the " cheats of the popular religion." But 
 the whole must be equal to its parts. Isa, however, is a 
 created appearance that once was not, and once will not 
 exist. For, " the sacred cow Maya, has two calves : Jeeva 
 and Isa. Both are Maya appearances although spiritual 
 ones. For even the individual soul can, in a dream, create 
 not only bodily, but also spiritual appearances, which, how- 
 ever, are without realit}^. " Jeeva and Isa make their 
 appearance together with elementary nature, and pass away 
 with it. But above them is the spirit." 
 
 In order to know more of Jeeva and Isa, we must consider 
 their attributes, but at the same time must bear in mind 
 that the subjects to be treated of, are in the world, not 
 above it. The attributes of Jeeva (individual soul) are : 
 partial knowledge, partial dominion, &c. The attributes 
 of Isa (universal soul) are omniscience and omnipotence 
 (within the limits of the Maya world). The works of Isa 
 are: all the created beings, from the time of the Maya develop- 
 ment until the entrance of Jeeva into the body. That 
 which happens to the body in its created state, the whole 
 course of waking and dreaming until its close is the work 
 of Jeeva. " The fools who pretend that the six inimical 
 feelings, (viz., Lust, Anger, Avarice, Passionate attachment, 
 
 * Throughout this section, I feel how entirely I have fallen 
 short of the German original, because I have, like others, been able 
 to find no rendering of the Icli at first, I attempted to translate 
 Ich by " I am" but this proved a failure. The Latin ego though 
 perhaps better, is still only a dead rendering of the living " Ich." 
 Cannot some Philologian enrich our English language with a new 
 word to convey the idea of the German " Ich ?" Translator. 
 
63 
 
 Pride and Envy) originate from Isa, whereas in reality they 
 come from Jeeva, will go to the lowest hell." Kaival ii, 59. 
 For, " even though the whole works of Isa should be 
 destroyed by floods, who could thereby disprove Isa's 
 existence ? On the other hand, body, time, and place, might 
 remain, but if the works of Jeeva, if the senses and the 
 passions died, a man would, though living, be saved by 
 wisdom. The blindness of the passions which chains us 
 down in fetters is a work of the living, not of the Lord of 
 the living." Kaival, v, 7. 
 
 " Isa and Jeeva are what is understood by the word Tat 
 and the word Twam (hoc and tu). Each is in the other 
 as butter is in milk, and are, therefore, one." 
 
 " Isa is Brama, Vishnoo, and Siva, who together consti- 
 tute Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. They know 
 the thoughts of others, and they know everything within 
 the three periods of time." Above these, however, is the 
 spirit. 
 
 The spirit, therefore, is neither Jeeva nor Isa, neither 
 the individual nor the universal soul, but it is that which 
 is above the whole Maya world. 
 
 " The spirit has none of the attributes of the world, and 
 beyond the spirit there is nothing. Should anything non- 
 spiritual appear, it is a deception, like a mirage of water in 
 the desert." Atma Bodha, 62. 
 
 " The ego has no attributes ; it is without activity, with- 
 out change, and without form ; it is released for ever ; it is 
 pure." " Since the ego is distinct from the body, it is also 
 free from birth, age, emaciation and decay, &c." Atma 
 Bodha, xxxi, 33. 
 
 For, " where there is a thing created, there also is a 
 thing which will pass away. The spirit, in which there is 
 nothing created, that is the ego" Kaival, x, 164. 
 
 " Like the rock which stands unmoved in the midst, 
 although water floods may rage around it, so the spirit 
 remains always the same, even although names and shapes 
 may change ; and this is the spirit which we must recognize 
 as the ego!' Panchadasa, xiii, 3. 
 
 The spirit that says : Beyond me is nothing ; everything 
 that I see is an embodiment of myself, like my dream it is 
 a form of the imaginationthat is the ego." Kaival, 172, 
 
84 
 
 It is, therefore, clear, that not only the unity, but also the 
 oneness of the spirit is inculcated. The recognized truism 
 that equals only can comprehend equals, does not terrify 
 the Vedanta. It jumps boldly at the conclusion : "I com- 
 prehend the absolute spirit, and, therefore, I am the abso- 
 lute spirit," and it says this in so many words. 
 
 " Each man's contemplation becomes a birth (i. e., a man 
 becomes that which he meditates upon). Those who con- 
 template corporeal subjects, become such. He who medi- 
 tates upon the Highest Being, becomes the Highest Being." 
 Kaival, ii, 85. 
 
 This certainly sounds hard, and even harder sounds the 
 formula which is taken from it : / am the absolute spirit. 
 
 If, however, we look into it closely, it is not altogether 
 nonsense, for : 
 
 " The self-knowing remains, and passes not away. It 
 may, therefore, be called Sat (existence). It understands the 
 Maya visions : time, place and thing ; and it may, therefore, 
 be called Chit (Intelligence, Thought). It is transcendental 
 and untouched by these three, and may, therefore, be called 
 Ananda, Joy." Panchadasa, viii, 2. 
 
 In the tropics they talk in tropes and in a hyperbolical 
 sense, and these expressions upon which so much stress is 
 laid, are intended only to distinguish distinctly Spirit from 
 Matter. The ego is, therefore, the spirit, a portion or reap- 
 pearance of the absolute Spirit. According to the Vedanta, 
 there is only one independent absolute Being. It is remark- 
 able, however, how the Vedanta, in spite of its anxiety to 
 insist upon the unity, nay, the oneness of God, has yet 
 arrived at a kind of Trinity. I do not allude, of course, to 
 the much hackneyed Trinity of creation, preservation, and 
 destruction, for these are all three conditions of Maya, of 
 appearance, and are summarily treated by the Vedanta. 
 I mean the Sat, Chit, and Ananda (Existence, Thought, Joy) 
 which it is not so very difficult to translate into Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, since Thought expressed, is the Word; 
 and Joy is conformable to the Spirit of Joy free spirit 
 of Christianity. 
 
 Our acknowledgments are due to the Vedanta that it did 
 not, like most other systems of philosophy, lose sight of God 
 in its contemplation of the world, but on the contrary main- 
 
65 
 
 tained so emphatically, the alone, original and attributeless 
 quality of God, that it treated the world as a reflection of 
 Him (as the moon in water, or a town in a mirror). And 
 when it refuses to let God be the mere causa efficiens of 
 the world, we must also agree with it. For God cannot be 
 the causa efficiens only, like the goldsmith is of the jewel, 
 or the potter of the jug ; for God had no material before 
 Him. The attempt of Leibnitz to solve the difficulty, by 
 taking eternal nomads, and by making God to be the original 
 nomad, only. leads back again to the atom theory of Demo- 
 critus, and to Pantheism. The effectivity of God is 
 different to that of man. We cannot, however, go with the 
 Vedanta when its calls God the causa materialis ; but it 
 can agree with us, when, instead of causa materialis, we 
 call Him causa materice ; and God must be called causa 
 materice. 
 
 It is clear that the Vedanta did not quite know what to 
 do with the world, in the same way as the Western sages 
 did not quite know what place to give to God. The sages 
 of the West, looked too exclusively at the world, and, 
 therefore, could not find God. The sages of the Vedanta, 
 looked too exclusively into the bright sun of the Eternal 
 Spirit, until dazzled by its glare they could only distinguish 
 the dim outlines of the world and of themselves as it were 
 in a dream. 
 
 The Bible shows us the world as a revelation, or to use 
 the expression of the Vedanta, as an unrolled picture of 
 God, behind which He Himself the Creator is standing. The 
 Bible teaches us by a contemplation of the visible world, 
 to arrive at a knowledge " of that which is invisible, of 
 the eternal power of God." The Vedanta reverses this, and 
 gazes directly at the eternal spirit. It endeavours to grasp 
 and comprehend with the understanding (a part of man) 
 what can only be believed by the heart, (the combination of 
 man's every part.) Like the creation of the world, the 
 Almighty power of God is an article of faith, not of science. 
 " Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed 
 by the word of God, so that things which are seen were 
 not made of things which do appear." Not, therefore, 
 from a substratum of eternal matter, not from atoms or 
 nomads, nor yet from the Maya, as a peculiar power of the 
 eternal spirit ; but from His Almighty power, according to 
 His will, and by His word. 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 There still remains, however, a difficult question with 
 reference to man, namely, his redemption. For even the 
 Vedanta speaks of a redemption, and recognizes that it is 
 indispensable. And here again we shall find many things 
 with which we can agree, for the Vedanta treats man 
 far more worthily than the naturalists and simialists of the 
 present day. The Vedanta recognizes clearly that the 
 inward being of man belongs neither to the coarser or finer 
 elementary matter, and that it is not to be confounded 
 either with the body or with the senses. It recognizes that 
 man is of divine descent, and, had its professors perceived 
 that the spirit of man is a breath from the mouth of God, 
 they would probably have rested content with that, and 
 would not have arrived at the preposterous conclusion 
 that the spirit of man is itself a part of the eternal Spirit, 
 which deduction, however, the Vedanta attempts to modify 
 by the simile of the reflection of the moon in water. 
 
 The spirit of man is banished and confined to a body, 
 which is without reality. But since appearances deceive, 
 so is man in a constant, deceptive unhappy condition, he 
 is full of folly, which leads to hell, and the way thither is 
 broad and easy enough. And the Vedanta has but little 
 pity for this state of things, and resembles in this respect 
 our old and new philosophers. " What happiness awaits 
 the fool ?" asks the scholar in Panchadasa, xii, 1, and the 
 teacher answers coldly : " Let him, on account of his sins 
 and his virtues, incur a hundred thousand births." A few 
 cyphers more or less are as immaterial to the sages of India 
 as to those of Europe. But the scholar, in whom activity 
 of mind, (which since it is an occupation of a portion only 
 of man is apt to make him one-sided,) has not yet hardened 
 his heart, asks again : " But shall he be thus rejected ?" 
 Should he not be shown all possible good ?" The stern 
 philosopher answers : " What is the use of crying, Oh ! and 
 Ah ! Before all things, it is first necessary to examine whether 
 a man is an externally or internally inclined fool ; and our 
 instruction must be regulated by this. The former we refer 
 to religious ceremonies, to the latter we teach wisdom on his 
 way to self- bliss." Panchadasa, iv, 3 ; for : " To teach 
 foolish spirits before they are ripe for it is only to produce 
 an excess of disappointment. The seed will not germinate 
 in their spirit." I den, i, 11. 
 
 Those who do works, are, therefore, left to their works, 
 
67 
 
 until they are tired of them and pine for something better. 
 That which is better, is the knowledge of the nature of 
 things, or, dissected, the answers to the questions : " What 
 is the ego in the body ? What is the spirit ? What is 
 matter ? What are the ties by which spirit and matter 
 are united ? What is redemption ?" Kaival, ii, 63. 
 
 These are the difficult questions that have to be answered. 
 " When wishing to identify the persons of those who have 
 disguised themselves ; if we try to understand their dis- 
 guised nature, their qualities or their marks, their true 
 being will not be known though we may see them run, 
 jump or stand on their heads, or perform ever so many 
 similar works. And so it is with the wisdom which the 
 Vedas have offered disguised in flowery words and similes, 
 which, leading to the knowledge of Brahma, can only be 
 obtained by search. Without this you may know the 
 holy writings by-heart and may bestow alms, perform 
 penances, prayers, ceremonies and sacrifices ; self-knowledge 
 will not come through any of these." Kaival, ii, 66 67. 
 
 Without self-knowledge there is, however, no redemption. 
 
 The Talabakar Upanishad, (3, 5, 15) affords us a glance 
 at these difficulties ; it says : 
 
 " The eye cannot see Him, nor language or the reason 
 grasp Him. We know Him not and understand Him not ; 
 how can we then explain Him ? He is apart from the 
 known, and raised superior to the unknown. He can be 
 seen by no eye, but has fashioned the eye in order to 
 regard Him. To him who regards Him as incomprehensible, 
 He is comprehensible ; but the man who thinks Him com- 
 prehensible knows Him not." 
 
 A teacher is regarded as indispensable ; but both teacher 
 and pupil must be no ordinary men. The pupil must long 
 ago have subdued the world, must have neither fear of, nor 
 love for, the world ; must regard neither joy nor pain ; 
 money and goods must have been long worthless to him, 
 before he is worthy, or in a condition to receive the teacher's 
 instruction. For : " the wicked, the passionate and those of 
 restless mind, will not reach the Almighty through a mere 
 knowledge of him." Katha-upan, ii, 6. 
 
 It is, however, so difficult for the teacher, to handle 
 the subject worthily and to make it comprehensible, 
 
68 
 
 that even the gods are afraid of the task. Here is an 
 example from the Kaiha Upanishad (I, 2, 3). The pious 
 pupil Nachiketa came to Yama (the god of death and 
 justice) and begged him to impart to him instruction. 
 But Yama answers terrified : " Ask for long life, for sons 
 and grandchildren, elephants, herds of cattle, and horses, 
 gold and dominion upon earth. Be the Lord of a mighty 
 kingdom, Nachiketa ! and I will grant every desire which 
 may arise in thy breast, bub ask me not to solve the diffi- 
 cult question regarding the existence and nature of God." 
 Nachiketa answers : " O Yama, such delights as these only 
 weaken man's powers ; and even the age of the world is 
 but short. No man can be made content with worldly posses- 
 sion ; why should man, subject to death and disease, 
 delight himself in beauty and in love, when he knows that 
 by approaching heavenly things, he can gain a higher 
 knowledge ? give me, therefore, O Yama, the solution of my 
 doubts with reference to the existence and nature of God." 
 
 The Upanishads give many other detailed instructions 
 regarding the acquisition of knowledge, and add : " The 
 way to the knowledge of God is difficult, and as hard as a 
 road on the edge of a razor." 
 
 Redemption by means of the Vedanta is, therefore, only 
 attainable by very few, and the road to God which it 
 teaches even narrower than that of Christianity. It is 
 especially no royal road, no free path, in which all may 
 walk, but only the path of a school, through which few 
 can pass. For this way is full of steep steps. They are as 
 follows : - 
 
 I. The knowledge that appearances of the senses are 
 faulty. 
 
 II. Disgust with such things. 
 III. A ceasing to strive after them. 
 
 IV. Subjugation of the spirit, until all things, even 
 Brahma's heaven, are regarded but as a stalk of straw. 
 
 In this way a man is prepared to be a pupil of wisdom. 
 Pupils not so constituted are not worthy of instruction. 
 The actual pupils must then, of course, climb other steps of 
 which the following are the principal : 
 1. To hear proper instruction. 
 
69 
 
 2. Reflection over its words. 
 
 3. Spiritual contemplation of their meaning. 
 Then follows : 
 
 4. The turning away from all appearances. 
 After which, 
 
 5. The sore of the bad self does not again break oufc. 
 
 " From which follows that whereas formerly the body 
 was firmly regarded as the ego now the absolute spirit is 
 recognized as the ego" Panchadas, i, 12. 
 
 This ^ is the difficult road of the sage of the Vedanta; 
 but now that he has at last reached his destination what 
 has he found ? He has discovered that God is the absolute 
 spirit and the only existence. He has discovered the world 
 to be a mere empty appearance "as of a town in a 
 mirror." Inside the world there is reality as the reality of 
 hunger, of pain, &c., may convince every one. But the 
 world, as a whole, is simply an appearance, with no lasting 
 existence and of no real worth. And finally, he has dis- 
 covered that he himself has been banished into this world, 
 this inanitas, as water is confined in a jug. No death can 
 break this jug, for one birth follows another, until at last 
 the upadi, the modality, passes away. And this can only 
 happen through knowledge of the one existence, and 
 through being able to distinguish from it what is merely 
 appearance. And then ? 
 
 And then, "When one of these jugs breaks, the moon 
 which has been reflected in its water, joins again the original 
 moon ; the individual soul returns to the unity of the original 
 self." Kaival, ii, 39. 
 
 That is all. The jug breaks and the water returns to 
 the well from which it was drawn. 
 
 That is redemption. 
 
 " Thus the life-released gain release from the body, by 
 being absorbed into the nature of knowledge which like 
 Ether remains eternally undisturbed." Kaival, i, 93. 
 
 So after a long and weary road no father's house, no 
 father's arms, no brother's heart, no communion of saints 
 
70 
 
 in light. Nothing but the cold joy of the drop of water 
 which falls from the bucket, and again reaches the depth 
 of the well. 
 
 But yet the joy at this discovery was very great. Demo- 
 critus did nothing, but laugh after he had discovered the 
 nature of all things to be in atomic existence ; Tandava 
 threw his cloth in the air, and did nothing but dance when 
 he discovered the nature of things to be in himself, and 
 exclaimed : " To whom can I explain the joy ineffable 
 which has come to me ? It arose within me, it bubbled 
 forth, it spread over the whole universe, it swelled high 
 and higher and became eternal. Hence I adore the flowery 
 feet of the teacher, the Lord, who has entrusted to me the 
 secret of Vedanta wisdom." Kaival, ii, 177. 
 
 " But many have an abundance of this knowledge and 
 have still not attained joy and freedom from care ;" is a 
 query which the Vedanta makes to itself and then 
 answers : " because their contemplation rested upon a super- 
 ficial understanding, which has been unable to grasp the 
 spirit of the holy writings and make it its own." "But 
 when the sore of the evil self has passed away, the desires > 
 which still arise in consequence of former transgressions 
 are no longer of harm;" and as regards the difference 
 between the wise man and the fool : " a man (is known) as 
 a learned or an ignorant man, not by his outward form but 
 by his knowledge of the Vedas. And in the same way a 
 sage in whom the sore of his evil self has passed away, is 
 not known by his outward fortunes, but thereby, that in 
 activity or in passivity he has neither disgust nor longing." 
 Panchadas, i, 11. 
 
 The life-released, reposes with his ego in the Absolute, 
 but his body is still in, and subject to the Maya world, 
 and, therefore, for convenience sake, he does as others do 
 around him, namely, when with fools he performs acts 
 of ceremony, and when among sages he abuses all cere- 
 monial. " For though activity is of no use to the sage, inac- 
 tivity is also of no use." Panchadas, ii, 9. 
 
 Sin does not seem to be mentioned in the Vedanta, though, 
 Ignorance, Folly, Passions, Evil-longings, &c., are, and these 
 resolve themselves afterwards into Lust, Anger, Avarice, 
 Pride, Envy, &c., and are innate in the natures of all men. 
 The Vedanta rightly attributes the seat of the disease to 
 
71 
 
 selfishness, to the " Sore of the evil self." Works are of no 
 avail towards redemption from this selfishness or rather 
 self-love ; and without redemption there is no bliss. Union 
 with God is the only thing that leads to this redemption, 
 and is itself redemption. The evil self, the Passions, all 
 tend to hinder this union for " only when all passions 
 which have their seat in the heart, are torn out by the 
 roots is the life-released one ready." Panchadas, i, 11. 
 
 And now for the difficulties : 
 
 The Vedanta attempts to prove that it is possible to root 
 out from the heart all passions, but at the same time it 
 always feels afresh that this rooting out is contrary to experi- 
 ence. But yet it attempts the task again and again, for it 
 feels that with these passions there can be no redemption. 
 
 This entire rooting out is either possible or it is impos- 
 sible. If it is impossible the Vedanta has lost all, and its 
 redemption is an illusion. But even were it possible the 
 stain of guilt which was contracted at the time when these 
 passions were still in force, would still remain. 
 
 There is, therefore, a stain of guilt and indeed a double 
 one. The capital sin from the time when the passions 
 reigned, and a continually increasing interest of sin from 
 the time when the passions were subdued but not yet 
 rooted out. 
 
 The Passions " anger," " hatred," " envy," &c., are, how- 
 ever nowhere, and never, mere ignorance, as may be seen 
 in the transgressions between man and man, but they are 
 also and essentially wrongs. As ignorance, therefore, can 
 only be purged by knowledge, so can wrong only be purged 
 by righteousness, (Isaiah, i, 27). This justice has, however, 
 a double demand upon man: as regards the Past, the justly 
 earned punishment for committed wrong, and as regards 
 the future the duty of avoiding all wrong. 
 
 The Vedantist cannot meet either the one or the other 
 of this double demand of justice. For, as regards the first 
 only he would be compelled to go to prison from whence 
 he could never emerge even to commence to meet the 
 second. And, therefore, for the Vedantist there is no 
 approach to God, and his union with God is an illusion. 
 
72 
 
 This double justice is only possible in Christ, for He, as 
 regards the Past, has borne the punishment for us : and as 
 regards the Future, He has for us met the demands of 
 Justice, and He works in us towards the uprooting of the 
 paisions, in other words he kills the desire to sin. 
 
 Conclusion. The highest aim of man is union with God. 
 This the Vedanta rightly teaches, though clumsily, because 
 mathematically ; but to the Vedantist it is impossible. To 
 the Christian only is it possible. 
 
 Period 3, 
 
 What the wise men of the Vedanta produced is still the 
 possession of the people. Sankya and Nyaya Professors 
 are to be met with ; but they scarcely know what they are. 
 In the north of India they are possibly more numerous ; 
 but in the land of the Tamulians, the more earnest Vedan- 
 tists kept the superficial materialists and atomists for the 
 most part back. 
 
 But though greatly esteemed by the people, the high- 
 soaring Vedanta could never become a popular religion. 
 The people require something human and are not content 
 with an Absolute Spirit. The reason of this probably is 
 that man, as he is, feels that he has nothing in common 
 with the Absolute Spirit. The holiness of God must always 
 appear to sinful man as a " devouring fire," and this is the 
 reason that the Mahomedan only becomes excited regarding 
 his Prophet, Allah leaves him unmoved. And that is 
 the reason that the Church of the Middle Ages, when it 
 transformed the loving Saviour of mankind into an angry 
 Judge, turned to Mary and the Saints. In the same way 
 the people in India discovered that they could not draw 
 near to a heartless and unsympathetic Absolute Spirit, and 
 that they could not approach Him, even though the way 
 had been less difficult than " over the edge of a razor." 
 They wished and longed for individuals to whom they 
 could draw near with offerings, as in their country each 
 superior is approached with a present on the occasion of a 
 formal visit, even though it be only the ordinary walnut- 
 sized lime. 
 
 The Brahmins, however, knew how to give the people 
 what they wanted, and in a short time there arose a perfect 
 forest of numberless gods and legends of gods. 
 
73 
 
 It is not my intention to lead the reader into this Indian 
 jungle. There are many roads leading into it, but the way 
 out is uncertain. For, like an actual jungle, each road, when 
 it gets to the middle, branches off into narrow paths going 
 towards all the quarters of the globe, with every possible 
 winding and turning, so that it requires a skilled mind to 
 find the way out, and then, perhaps, the only good derived 
 is a bad head-ache. In other words, each Swami (god) 
 appears under so many different names, and so many 
 different stories are told of him under each name that it is 
 most difficult to preserve the golden thread, if golden thread 
 there be. The people does not feel it to be a reproach that 
 it has as many as three hundred and thirty millions of 
 gods, but seems the rather to be proud of the possession 
 of so much wealth. 
 
 It is often said regarding the present popular religion, 
 that it has no connection with its holy writings, the Vedas. 
 But this is only partly true. 
 
 It is, indeed, true that at the time of the Vedas, there 
 were no stone or metal gods, at all events, not during the 
 first period. We have, however, remarked above how the 
 Vedas idolize all things around them, that is, deify them, 
 though they do not reduce them to graven images. I have 
 not space here to show the many instances in which in the 
 Vedas, things visible are addressed and extolled. I will, 
 however, quote one short passage in which the snakes are 
 addressed : 
 
 The Heaven is your Father and the Earth is your Mother, 
 Soma, your brother, Aditi, your sister, O serpents 
 Unseen but all seeing remain in your holes, and hiding, 
 Enjoy and amuse yourselves there in your fashion. 
 
 Rig Veda, ii, 5, 12. 
 
 In the same way everything that can be of benefit or 
 that can harm, is adored and praised ; grass, on account of 
 its powers of healing ; the partridge, on account of its powers 
 of prescience ; food, on account of its powers of satisfying, 
 &c. We cannot, therefore, deny that even the wildest 
 idolatry of the present day has to a certain degree a 
 foundation in the Vedas. The sages of the Vedanta pressed 
 the Veda leaves and extracted from them an essence 
 which in many respects is worthy of admiration. But this 
 
 10 
 
74 
 
 food was too meagre for the "enthusiasts of popular 
 religion." They, therefore, helped themselves to the dry 
 squeezed husks of the Vedas and manufactured for them- 
 selves a mess, namely, the present idol-worship, which as 
 far as accommodating itself to the country and customs of 
 the people is concerned has not got its equal. 
 
 Buddhism, which, although banished from India, has left 
 a mighty impression behind, aided, though without wishing 
 to do so, the idol-worship to reach the power and influence 
 it has obtained. In Tamil land, the already existing 
 demon-worship assisted in giving idolatry a peculiar color- 
 ing. When an adoration of natural powers becomes 
 diverted into an adoration of individualities, it almost always 
 take the form of a worshipping of departed spirits of man, 
 which, as demons, influence the people that serve them and 
 keep them back from a knowledge of truth. For, in the 
 light of truth, these shadowy forms cannot stand, but as 
 long as the darkness of ignorance about God lasts, these 
 evil spirits " reign in the darkness of this world." The 
 Greeks made to themselves gods of Tubalcain and Jubal, 
 the sons of Lamech and called them Vulcan and Apollo ; 
 and in the same way, the people of India took to themselves 
 two king's sons, Rama and Krishna and made of them 
 gods even to this day. The Greeks went further and took 
 from out of their own times the old soothsayer, Trophonius, 
 and dedicated a shrine unto him, in order to hear him even 
 after death, and accordingly oracles were heard as wished 
 for from his shrine. In the same way, the Tamulians dived 
 into the present and made idols out of well known deceased 
 men, and provided these images with temples and temple 
 worship. 
 
 A few years ago, there was in Cuddalore a great dispute 
 amongst hundreds of Brahmins regarding their idols. The 
 Collector, as Magistrate of the district, had to decide this dis- 
 pute, and decided it in favor of the majority who were able 
 to cry the loudest. The following are the facts of the case : 
 About four hundred years ago there lived at Srirungam, near 
 Trichinopoly, a pious Guroo by name Desigan. These 
 Guroos are a kind of bishops in the country. Their rank 
 is hereditary in the family, though they themselves do not 
 marry. Whenever they travel, they do so with great pomp, 
 riding on elephants and followed by horses and by carriages. 
 
75 
 
 Wherever they come, each disciple of their creed, if an 
 official, pays them as tribute one whole month's pay, and the 
 other inhabitants according to the best of their ability. 
 They remain in each place a few days, hold a kind of con- 
 firmation, give large banquets, and, perhaps, never again 
 visit the place in their lives. The sole doctrine which such 
 a Guroo teaches, seems to be " continue thus," which 
 when preached on the occasion of presentations of gifts has 
 a very obvious meaning. Desigan was such a Guroo, and as 
 he was a very holy man, at least according to what the 
 Hindoos consider holy, he was held in high honor. When 
 he died, a few of his disciples made a golden image of him 
 and worshipped it. After a time, this pleased others also, 
 upon which, the gold figure of Desigan began to be carried 
 about in procession like other gods, and the country people 
 flocked in as they always do when there is something to 
 stare at. This was only done by the Vadakalei or northern 
 branch of Vishnoo Brahmins. The southern branch of the 
 Vishnoo Brahmins called Tenkalei, who are distinguished 
 from the others by a mark from the forehead down to the 
 middle of the nose, had, however, also a celebrated Guroo, 
 who was Desigan's coteinporary, and was called Manuwala- 
 wamuni. They wished to honor their Guroo in the same 
 way as their neighbours had done theirs, and, therefore, 
 made another little golden image, but smaller, (for their 
 numbers were fewer) carried it round in procession and 
 built for it a temple. This, however, the numerous oppo- 
 nents, the Vadakalei, would not allow, and hence a dispute 
 arose in the town. As the Tenkalei were in the minority, 
 they, of course, were in the wrong, at which they were so 
 enraged that they almost would have become Christians. 
 They were, however, priests who had to live by their 
 religion, and who get pickings at births, marriages and death 
 feasts, public festivals, &c., sufficient to give them the 
 means of living, and hence, they first of all wisely enquired, 
 whether as in their religion they could gain enough from 
 Christianity to support wife and children. 
 
 In this way the gods of Tamil land grow more numerous 
 from day to day since the people continue to worship the 
 spirits of departed men, and of demons, to make idols of 
 them and to build them temples. And the " principalities 
 and powers" " the evil spirits under heaven," " the rulers of 
 the darkness of this world," take advantage of this worship, 
 
76 
 
 and thus become actual powers which influence men that 
 worship them, which check, drive and plague them, and 
 prevent them as long as possible from arriving at a know- 
 ledge of the truth. For their dominion is only in the 
 darkness of this world which can be banished, not indeed 
 by any lamp of human invention, but by the Light from 
 above. When this darkness disappears, then the influence 
 of these shadow-powers will, of course, cease. Where and in 
 what degree this darkness and ignorance of God prevails 
 there and in such proportion do these evil powers have 
 dominion ? And this explains the so-frequent appearance 
 of the actual lives of these dead idols. 
 
 Vishnoo and Siva are the principal of the gods of Tamil 
 land. Vishnoo, mentioned casually already in the Vedas, 
 appears to have represented Time, and his often mentioned 
 " three steps," probably mean both the rising, meridian and 
 setting of the sun, as well as the Past, the Present and the 
 Future. In after times, of course, wives were assigned to 
 him, and he was allowed many changes of form. These 
 Avatars, however, have been so often described, and have 
 so little in them that I shall probably be excused if I omit 
 to reproduce them here. Vishnoo is called by many dif- 
 ferent names, and is said to have appeared in all kinds of 
 places, which form as many excuses for festivals, to which 
 the country people flock from all sides, and by which some- 
 thing respectable always comes into the hands of the 
 Brahmins. To describe each in detail, would be a very 
 fruitless task. Vishnoo's adherents besides, are for the most 
 part to be found in the north of India. 
 
 In the south of India, and, therefore, in Tamil land also, 
 Siva is the god chiefly worshipped, and the largest Pagodas 
 are erected in his honor. In the worship of Siva, how- 
 ever, as much of the original Dravidian demon-worship has 
 been absorbed, as the Brahmins found suitable to their 
 plans, and many of the elements of the Kako-demons are 
 to be found in Siva, and in the destructive qualities attri- 
 buted to him and to his spouse Kali. Siva has one thousand 
 and eight different names, and is, therefore, worshipped 
 in as many different forms and ways. Amongst this 
 number, however, are to be found several Tamil kings, who 
 in virtue of their own deeds or their bards words, have been 
 stamped as incarnations of Siva and are worshipped as 
 
77 
 
 such. Siva, like Vishnoo has, of course, long domestic his- 
 tories, but no object can be served in furbishing them up ; 
 they are useless as far as instruction is concerned, valueless 
 for edification and too hacknied for mere amusement. 
 
 The followers of Vishnoo carry the distinguishing mark 
 of their god on the forehead, painted in glaring red and 
 white lines, which sign is often to be found on their house 
 doors. The Sivaites, on the other hand, smear themselves 
 on the forehead, breast and arms with cow-dung ashes, and 
 thus give themselves sometimes a really demoniacal appear- 
 ance. Between these two sects, there are many disputes 
 which sometimes end in blows. In former days, such 
 occurrences were more frequent than now. Their disputes 
 consist in the question which god is the greater, and which 
 is the original one ? Now, one often hears the opinion that 
 Vishnoo and Siva are one, and that all worship offered to 
 any one of the gods, is intended for the supreme God and is 
 agreeable to Him. The picture-servers and Mary and 
 Saints-worshippers say just the same and from the same 
 reason. God the Lord, however, pronounced himself most 
 emphatically against this doctrine, when men commenced 
 to worship Him (not strange gods) by means of images, 
 for, he destroyed the Aaronitish image-worshippers. And 
 when, afterwards, Jeroboam again brought into Israel this 
 image-worship, he and his whole race were rooted out. It 
 will surely be allowed that the Lord of Heaven has the 
 same right, as every master upon earth to order how his 
 servants are to serve Him, and to allow them no opinions 
 of their own upon the subject. And when He orders us to 
 worship Him in spirit and in truth, not only do we not 
 require any images, but we have no right to make use of 
 them. 
 
 The worship of all these idols is of one kind ; they are 
 anointed with oil and sometimes milk is poured over them. 
 With each motion of the hand, every one of which is pre- 
 scribed, prayers are utterred, which consist for the most 
 part of flattering praises or requests, and which have 
 often nothing whatsoever in common with the present 
 necessity. The principal matter here also is naturally trust 
 in these gods, whereby a bond of union is formed between 
 the idol-worshippers and the demons which are represented 
 by, and are not far removed from the idols worshipped. 
 
78 
 
 For an idol image is only the husk, or the body for the 
 Schedim, (the " Devils," Deut. xxxii, 17) who, hidden be- 
 hind it, received the proffered worship. And, therefore, the 
 doctrine of the Brahmins that after certain prayers and 
 ceremonies, the god takes possession of the idol, which till 
 then had been nothing more than stone or metal, and that 
 after certain other acts the god leaves the idol, should not 
 be rejected as a simple lie. 
 
 I should, however, be doing these idol-worshippers an 
 injustice, if I did not expressly say that among them there 
 are many pious and earnest minds. These do not remain 
 floundering in the quagmire of idolatry, but regard it as a 
 mere outward husk, and reject it indeed in words, but still 
 as far as their actual daily life is concerned they cannot 
 disconnect themselves from it, for the whole life of the 
 people is entwined with it. Minds of this kind rely in spirit 
 on the truth and the good which the Vedanta has brought 
 to light. They seek to grasp God as the most perfect 
 Being; as the most perfect Intelligence ; and as the most 
 perfect Bliss ("Sat," "Chit," "Ananda,") and endeavour 
 to find union with Him by the path of self-contemplation. 
 Although I know some such individuals, I cannot describe 
 them better than Tayumanaver, one of themselves has 
 described them in a poem full of tenderness and longing 
 for God, and which reminds one of the 42nd Psalm. The 
 following is taken from Dr. Graul's translation in the 
 " Indische Sinnpflanzen." 
 
 1. The road to the Supreme Being. 
 
 Thou standest at the summit of all the glorious earth, 
 Thou rulest and pervadest the world from ere its birth. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 And can the pious man find out no way to Thee 
 Who melting into love with tears approaches Thee. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Already on the way is he who takes as guide, 
 
 An earnest loving heart and self-discernment tried. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Who'd gaze at heaven first climbs the mountain height, 
 Self-contemplations wing towards Thee aim their flight. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
73 . 
 
 The union of the soul with the Supreme Being. 
 
 Thou throned above the ^Ether's pinnacle, Lord, 
 
 'Tis thou who art the Spirit and thou who art the Word ! 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Untouched thyself, the mind of him thou gently moveth 
 Who pondering, bewildered, the word and spirit loseth. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Things heavenly thou showest unto the wondering sight, 
 Reflected in a mirror, thou mountain of delight. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 He dies, Lord Supreme, who loves Thee to perfection, 
 And slumbering ever rests in blissful contemplation. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 The object thou of love, of every heartfelt pleasure 
 Of souls that prize alike the potsherd and the treasure. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 The poet's conversion. 
 
 A madness there possessed me, to kill the ' Self and Mine' 
 In need I wandered helpless, seeking help divine. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 My pride became then softened, and touched by Thee above 
 To water ran my bones, and I dissolved in love. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 Thou of all the weary and heavy laden, Rest, 
 Henceforth thy name by me for ever shall be blest. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 Grant, thirsty, I may plunge in thy fresh stream of bliss 
 Or else o'erwhelmed I sink, within the deep abyss. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 A taste of bliss. 
 
 Knowing all my thoughts, for ever and again 
 
 Thou comest to refresh me, thou grace bestowing rain. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Thou Nectar never cloying, thou stream of heavenly bliss, 
 O thou the good that dwells, in perfect loneliness. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
80 
 
 All things pervadeth Thou, O sweetest honey dew ! 
 My inward self-possessing Thou sweetnest through and 
 through. O Supremest Being ! 
 
 My coral Thou, my pearl, my mine of purest gold, 
 My beam of brightness, Spirit light, my priceless wealth 
 untold. O Supremest Being i 
 
 My eye, my thought, my tree, my heavenly stream, 
 Thou art my Aether-ray, my joy and wonder dream. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 Complaint over inward barrenness. 
 
 Lost in myself, my spirit lies here helpless 
 
 Like dried up wood and Thou wilt leave me sapless 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 sea of bliss may I not plunge in Thee, 
 
 Nor quench the thirst, which now destroyeth me ? 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 When will my sorrow cease, my fountain spring, 
 And flow again with joy, my Prince and King. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Why turn thy face away ? all that I knew, 
 To get a closer view of Thee away I threw. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 My tears of grief, my soul seem to destroy, 
 
 When wilt Thou change them Lord to tears of joy ? 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 To Thee in silent worship I ever cling and twine, 
 And like an orphan child I long and pine. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Though free and joyful I myself may boast, 
 
 1 still must ever wander in a dreary waste. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 Like to a stalk of straw in whirlwinds blown and tossed, 
 So is thy wretched slave within this desert lost. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
81 
 
 But earthly powers and kings are nought of worth to me, 
 If they not humbly raise their hands in prayer to Thee. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 The cow bestows upon its helpless offspring love, 
 Show me, O gracious mother, thy pity from above. 
 
 Supremest Being ! 
 
 However guilty I, whatever wrong I do, 
 
 I ask Thee, mother-like, thy pitying love to show. 
 
 O Supremest Being ! 
 
 One would think that minds so constituted, would at once 
 turn to Christianity. But no ! everything must await its 
 time and its fulness. But we may well say of them that 
 they are not far from the kingdom of God. 
 
 Besides the idol-worship, countenanced by the Brahmins, 
 there are again other idols and worship which they them- 
 selves reject as devil-worship. These are the last remains 
 of the religion of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country, 
 the Turanians. Almost every hamlet has its village and 
 boundary devil who, as they are not always in the best of 
 humours, have to be propitiated with worship and sacrifices 
 to keep them in a good temper. This species of Kako- 
 demons are fond of blood, and of flesh still quivering with 
 life : cocks and goats are the ordinary sacrifices, and in 
 another place I have related how these are conducted. 
 
 From the above, which however leaves much to be said, 
 it will be clearly seen how necessary it is to pray and to 
 work, that " The heathen may turn from darkness unto 
 Light, and from the dominion of Satan unto God." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TEMPLES AND TEMPLE- WORSHIP. 
 
 All nations in the world who have permanent dwelling- 
 places of their own are in the habit of building dwellings 
 temples for their gods, and take often a pride in making 
 these temples as big and as handsome as possible. Doubt- 
 less, a beautiful and noble feeling is the cause of this, but 
 nevertheless, what Stephen exclaimed before the gorge- 
 ous Temple of Herod in Jerusalem, is true : " The most 
 
 11 
 
82 
 
 High dwells not in temples made with hands." For, as 
 Solomon says : " Behold the heaven of heavens cannot con- 
 tain Thee, how much less this house, that I have built." 
 And, as the Lord Himself says : " Heaven is my Throne, and 
 earth is my footstool, what house will ye build Me, or what 
 is the place of My rest ? Hath not my Hand made all 
 these things ?" This knowledge, however, the heathen do 
 not possess ; they believe that their gods really live in their 
 temples, and as these gods have only limited attributes, of 
 such a nature that other deities can exist by their side, this 
 their belief is not so unnatural. 
 
 The large temples of the East are not wholly roofed- 
 buildings like those of the West, but they also enclose 
 large open spaces, in the same way as all the better houses 
 in the Orient do. On festival days, thousands collect in 
 these open spaces. Thousands also find lodging in the 
 spacious halls of columns, which are often two-storied. 
 The temples of Solomon and of Herod, the mightiest temples 
 of Egypt, and the temples in the land of the Tamulians, are 
 alike in this respect. 
 
 It may, perhaps, sound strange that I should class the 
 temple of Solomon and those of Egypt together with the 
 temples of the Tamulians, but, in truth, they belong to each 
 other. For the temples of the Tamulians are not only by far 
 the largest temples in India, but are besides the largest 
 temples in the world. Solomon's temple was about 300 feet 
 square with many open spaces in the middle. Herod's temple 
 which also enclosed a large outer court for the heathen, was 
 500 feet long and as many broad. The large Mosque in 
 Mecca is, it is true, 650 feet long and 400 feet broad, but 
 the interior for the greater part is an open space. 
 The great temples of Egypt were also partly open in the 
 middle, and the largest at Carnac encloses a space 1,200 
 feet by 360, and contains, therefore, 532,000 square feet. 
 These are or were the largest temples of the old world. 
 They are, however, all by far exceeded in size by the 
 temples of the Tamulians. The temple at Chellumbrum, in 
 the Cuddalore district, although not the largest in Tamil 
 land, is four times as large as Herod's temple and more than 
 double the size of the largest of the temples of Egypt. It 
 is according to my own repeated measurements above one 
 thousand feet in length, and the same quantity in breadth, 
 BO that it contains more than one million square feet. 
 
83 
 
 Temples in all other parts of the world must yield to such 
 as these in size. It is true, that the temples of Egypt make 
 a grander impression with their pillars of such enormous 
 height and thickness ; but the impression which the 
 Egyptians sought to create by colossal size, the Tamulians 
 have endeavoured to convey by massiveness ; for instance, 
 although the greatest column hall of Egypt, that of Carnac, 
 contained 138 pillars ; the Pilgrims' hall at Chellumbrum 
 alone contains as many as 930 granite columns. Besides 
 this largest hall, the flat roof of which is also of granite, 
 this temple contains others similar, and one in which the 
 carving is very fine and delicate. From the outside, this, 
 like all other Tamil temples, shows only a smooth high wall 
 with lofty towers 150 feet high, which cover the entrances 
 on each of the four sides. In these towers are granite 
 stones in one block 40 feet in length. Thousands of figures 
 of the gods cover them from top to bottom. These are for 
 the most part made of plaster, but so good was the work- 
 manship and the materials that they have lasted hundreds 
 of years. Greek aesthetics are, of course, not to be found 
 here, but the Orientals have aesthetics of their own ; and 
 what to us, cold Westerns appear to be only brainless gro- 
 tesques, is to the Indian a book easy of comprehension and 
 affords him delightful glimpses into his world of deities; 
 for these gods all live to the Tamulian, and he lives for 
 them. Fifteen years ago, the finest hall of columns in 
 Chellumbrum was lying neglected in ruins, and many of 
 the beautiful pillars lay shattered on the ground. Then 
 there came a poor old man, who said : I will rebuild this 
 hall ! and he kept his word ; for it is now, and has been 
 for some time, perfect and complete. But how was this 
 done ? In this way. The old man travelled all over the 
 country with bare feet, bare head and bare body, with only 
 a narrow strip of old cloth round his loins. In his hand 
 he always carried a bag containing the holy ashes with 
 which the Sivaite smears his forehead and breast. The 
 offerings he received, he placed in this bag, and in return, he 
 gave a little of his ashes. And so he wandered about until 
 he had collected a considerable sum, and then he com- 
 menced to build. Ash-bag in hand I saw him superin- 
 tending the building, and from the bag, paid many a gold 
 piece, and when the money was finished, he started again 
 on a begging expedition and collected more. In this way 
 he obtained many thousand Rupees, and at last completed 
 
84 
 
 the restoration of the hall, which is said to be finer now 
 than it was before. 
 
 Inside, all round the high walls, are halls with pillars, 
 generally two-storied, which are capable of containing 
 many thousand pilgrims. The fine square tank also, the 
 four slopes to which are ornamented by steps of granite, 
 is built round with pillars and halls. The wants of the 
 festival guests are, therefore, well provided for. By the 
 side of the tank are the dwellings of the gods, who love the 
 darkness. Their worshippers remain standing at a respect- 
 ful distance or prostrate themselves lengthways on the 
 ground in the most profound adoration. This position is 
 called Sashtangam or ' six members/ for in it the forehead, the 
 breast, the two knees and the two elbows must touch the 
 ground. Only the ministering priests enter at certain times 
 in order to oil and to adorn the god with flowers. Loud 
 music or what is intended for such, the firing of cannons, 
 &c., forms part of the ceremony. 
 
 The whole building conveys a mighty, though not elevat- 
 ing impression, and there is no one but must wonder at 
 the multitude of pillars, at the masses of granite in the 
 midst of rice fields far from any quarries, at the hugeness 
 of the whole building and at the wonderful industry which 
 has been bestowed upon it. 
 
 The land of the Tamulians has not a few such temples, 
 and no other race in India has such large ones. Even in 
 this same Cuddalore district there is another temple of 
 almost equal size and celebrity, which is visited at the time 
 of its festival by from 150 to 200 thousand people. It is the 
 temple of Tiroovanamalai, and is very remarkably built 
 in three divisions, of which the first forms the outer court 
 and the third the holy of holies. The priests allowed me 
 to enter the first, without objection, they did not seem to 
 like it when I passed into the second, and protested in 
 screams as I was about to step into the third. The en- 
 trance to each division is by a flight of broad granite 
 steps ; then comes the tower which is built over the en- 
 trancehalls for pilgrims to rest in called the ' thousand 
 pillared,' though there are ahvays several missing out of the 
 10th hundred are in each division. The whole is 1,200 feet 
 long and 700 broad. 
 
 Besides these two, the largest temples are at Trivallore, 
 Conjeveram, Tanjore, Srirangam, Madura, &c. 
 
85 
 
 The largest of all is that at Srirangam, built upon an 
 Island of the Cauvery of great fertility, and not far from 
 Trichinopoly. It is surrounded by seven walls ; the outer of 
 which is nearly a mile each way in extent, so that the whole 
 Pagoda is nearly four miles in circumference. The space 
 between each of the seven walls is about 350 feet broad. 
 In the middle of each wall over the entrance gate, is a tower. 
 The southern outermost tower has stones built in it 30 feet 
 in length, and 6 feet broad, and is a splendid though un- 
 finished work. The building, as a whole, may be called a 
 temple town rather than a temple. Here the Brahmins 
 lived in security and fed upon the fat of the land. But 
 even they were not permitted to find a Paradise upon earth, 
 as they discovered during the wars of the last century. 
 When an army supported by the French invested this Pagoda, 
 (for these mighty buildings are easily turned into for- 
 tresses,) the Brahmins got into the utmost terror, and 
 an old man mounted the outer entrance tower and conjured 
 the besiegers by all that was holy not to desecrate this 
 sacred place. But when his entreaties were of no avail and 
 the enemies effected their entrance, he threw himself down 
 from the tower and lay a shattered mass at their feet. But 
 even this act of self-immolation was of no avail, the days 
 of the ancient Greeks had passed away, the invaders 
 stepped heedlessly over his body and the fortified temple 
 was carried. Why cannot religion keep itself clear of 
 politics ? 
 
 Now-a-days the Brahmins allow any one to pass through 
 the first six gates without molestation. No one, however, is 
 permitted to pass through the seventh which shuts in their 
 holy of holies. Enormous treasures are said to be hidden 
 within it, and amongst others an image of Vishnoo of pure 
 gold which they sometimes exhibit to the curious. As, how- 
 ever, he is so big and heavy they bring him out piecemeal, 
 and after having exhibited his head, his arms, and his trunk, 
 take him carefully back into the holy place. He is 
 worshipped only at certain seasons. When a party is made 
 up under the guidance of a local Official, the Brahmins are 
 in the habit of bringing out boxes of jewels and treasure. 
 I have seen the dresses and ornaments of the gods of pre- 
 cious stones set in pure gold. Though the stones are large, 
 they are mostly uncut, and the majority are flawed. The 
 stone carving is partly fretted and is executed with great 
 art. The whole is a veritable jungle of stone and masonry. 
 
86 
 
 The Pagoda at Tanjore is not so large, but is fortified 
 with a deep ditch and a rampart. The entrance towers are 
 not remarkable, but in the middle there is a tower with 
 14 divisions. Each side of this tower measures 82 feet, and 
 the heights above is 200 feet. One peculiarity of this tower 
 is that it covers the most holy, whereas in most Pagodas 
 the towers cover only the entrance. In front of this tower 
 is a long building. The light enters only by the door of this 
 building, and so there is plenty of the darkness so much 
 enjoyed by the Hindoo gods. As I mounted the steps and 
 made for the entrance of the interior, the guardians ran 
 away in terror to call the Brahmins, all of whom it so hap- 
 pened were absent. I could, therefore, proceed unhindered. 
 I walked on quietly, for I did not wish to excite any tu- 
 mult, but even in the interior I found no living men, 
 nothing but dead gods; at the end was a kind of altar, in 
 the middle of which was an idol well smeared with oil, and 
 around a number of lamps. The whole was not unlike a 
 Roman Catholic altar, and there is no doubt that Borne in 
 her ceremonies has learnt something from the heathen. 
 For, when in the 4th century idolatry in Italy was forbidden 
 by law, and the unconverted heathen flocked to the Churches, 
 the already worldly-wise Church of Rome commenced to 
 change the simple Christian worship into a gorgeous cere- 
 monial. The worship of God was altered so as to be popular, 
 but ceased for ever to be a worship of God in Spirit and in 
 Truth. And this evil has in the course of centuries grown 
 greater, so that it is intelligible how, when the first Portu- 
 guese had found the long way to India round the Cape of 
 Good Hope and landed on her shores, they should have at 
 first imagined heathen idolatry to be Christian worship. 
 They went straight into a Pagoda, and as everything 
 seemed the same as in their Churches at home, they fell on 
 their knees before the idols, whom they took to be Saints, 
 and offered prayers to them. And only one of them arose 
 in doubt and exclaimed, " If these are devils, I am not to 
 be supposed to have worshipped them." 
 
 As I emerged from the darkness, a Brahmin hurried 
 breathlessly up, struck his h?nds together above his head 
 and exclaimed " but it is forbidden to enter here !" I 
 answered quieth 7 ", " If you had only told me that before, 
 should I have entered ? The man remained silent, but I 
 walked quietly out before' a commotion commenced. 
 
 I will not, however, weary the reader with a description 
 
87 
 
 of each temple, they are in their fashion all alike : high 
 walls round them, heavy towers built over the entrances, 
 broad at the summit and covered from top to bottom with 
 figures, thousand columned halls for pilgrims, and here and 
 there the dwellings of the separate gods. The whole 
 always makes a striking impression, striking, but at the same 
 time heavy and ponderous and far from elevating. Impres- 
 sive, but not pleasing, as is the impression created by the 
 beautiful ruins on the Acropolis at Athens. The impression 
 is more like that caused by the Colisseum at Rome. In 
 both cases it is the massiveness which is imposing, but not 
 pleasing. 
 
 Affcer these largest temples, there is a large number of 
 ordinarily sized ones, of which, however, many are about as 
 large as that of Herod at Jerusalem. Small temples, down 
 to simple shrines cover the country without number. In 
 the towns and villages there is scarcely a street without a 
 temple big or small, and it is held to be impious to live in 
 a street without a temple. But even in places where men 
 do not dwell are to be found temples and gods without 
 end; on the tops of hills, in the debris on the plains, by 
 tanks, by rivers, by the side of roads and indeed everywhere. 
 
 The land of the Tamulians is, therefore, extraordinarily 
 rich in temples, and it is a matter of surprise that so small 
 a people (estimated in numbers at 12, but according to the 
 last census 16 millions) should have been able to expend so 
 much energy, so great diligence and such enormous sums of 
 money on their temples. Even rock temples, that is to say, 
 temples hewn into and out of the living rock are to be 
 found in Tamil land. Mahabalipuram, known also as the 
 seven Pagodas, not far from Sadras, is celebrated. Here it 
 would seem that a whole race of stone masons, have worked 
 for an entire generation, or rather carried on mad games ap- 
 parently without object or purpose. Here also is a rock, 
 covered with grotesque figures of gods, with reference to 
 which it is narrated that Goethe said 
 
 I fain would live in India's land, 
 Were not the masons so mighty a band. 
 The whole question of temple-building is a very peculiar 
 one. It is a sign of a certain height of religious know- 
 
 . In Indien xnocht ich selber leben 
 
 Hatt es nur keine Steinmetzen gegeben. 
 
88 
 
 ledge ; but it is a height from which the path leads down 
 hill. Even Solomon's temple is no exception to this. How 
 soon was it desecrated ! And the large Churches of Christ- 
 endom, which were built beyond the actual requirements, 
 how little have they been houses of God for worshipping 
 Him in Spirit and in Truth. How many sellers, usurers and 
 money-changers are to be found in them, who deserve to be 
 driven out with a scourge of ropes ! Not only in St. Peter's 
 at Rome, but also in the marvellous Cathedral at Milan, 
 and in the Cathedral at Cologne one may hear the voice 
 of the Lord as He spoke through the prophet Amos : " Take 
 thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; for I will not 
 hear the melody of thy viols. I hate, I despise your feast 
 days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies !" if 
 but those who have ears chose to listen. Most of these build- 
 ings have proceeded from a spirit like that of Nimrod, by 
 which the people, or some Nimrod among them, have wished 
 to make for themselves a name, and an honour, whilst at the 
 same time God the Lord has to furnish the name and the 
 pretext, and the worship in these temples consists of a 
 medley of ceremonies learnt partly from Jews but mostly 
 from heathens. Ceremonial service has everywhere some- 
 thing striking and tempting about it. Man enjoys a feeling 
 of content and of self-satisfaction, after having performed 
 certain acts held to be duties. And if at times the inward 
 hollowness is felt and the inward voice heard, man endea- 
 vours with still more such externals and husks to fill the 
 one, and to silence the other. So men attain a certain 
 drilling, and may even cast out many a devil, only that it 
 will be done by the very Beelzebub of his own Self. At 
 best a well grown wild olive tree will be produced ; the 
 new man in Christ does not grow in this soil of self-selected 
 works, performances and drillings. 
 
 Even the Tamjilians reckon ceremonial service as the 
 lowest step in their worship. A higher step 5s the service 
 of love towards men by which all wealth and goods are 
 placed at the disposal of fellowmen, and the highest step of 
 all, is the alienation of the thoughts from all things worldly, 
 so that " gold and straw are of equal value," and through 
 contemplation Self becomes absorbed in God. How much 
 truth there is in this, and how much nearer is it to the eternal 
 truth than the wearying service of dead saints be they 
 called Rama, Krishna, Januarius, Xaverius, or whatever else 
 you please ! 
 
89 
 
 The temples of India are not of great antiquity, and in 
 the land of the Tamulians there are scarcely any older 
 than 800 years. All Japhet's children began to build temples 
 late in life. It is true that the Greeks introduced the passion 
 for temple-building into Europe from Egypt, from whence 
 they borrowed most of their culture, and the Romans 
 were infected by it from them. But when the Germanic 
 races began to take a part in history, they held it " to be 
 unworthy of the greatness of the Heavenly Beings to repre- 
 sent them by images of a man, or to shut them up inside 
 walls," as Tacitus tells us, and it was the same with their 
 brethren in India. The Vedas know nothing of temples 
 and idols or of periodical festivals. Each man and each 
 woman served god or the gods in his or her own house, 
 and offered prayers or sacrifice for women also offered 
 sacrifice according to the prescribed form, but without 
 the interference of priests or of any other self-made 
 mediator. What need had such a people of temples ? 
 Each place was equally suitable for them to offer their 
 prayers to the unseen gods, and the sun, which in India 
 rises almost all the year round with an equal brightness, 
 was for them the mighty clock which reminded them of their 
 religious duties. As Rama says : 
 
 " When rises the sun we praise and adore Thee, 
 When at evening it sets with prayers we implore Thee," 
 
 For this worship no temples were needed, and at this 
 period there was in India great modesty and propriety of 
 habit. Human writings contain no higher examples of 
 virtue, than those which Valrniki ascribes to Rama and Sita. 
 
 But there is nothing for man so hard to bear as days of 
 prosperity, and it is the same with a nation. The pros- 
 perity of India led to presumption, and presumption to. 
 devastating wars which are reproduced in- the Mahabharat. 
 The ancient royal families together with the whole race of 
 Kshetriyas destroyed each other and perished. With them 
 fell India's virtue, and the simple religion of the Vedas passed 
 away. Every state of society was dissolved. Gross law- 
 lessness was the natural result. And whilst the Kshetriyas, 
 who hitherto had been the rulers, were effecting each others 
 destruction, the Vaisyas, the tradesmen and manufacturers, 
 had ample opportunities of gaining great wealth. Wealth 
 quickly gained, leads to luxury and dissolute living; and 
 
 12 
 
90 
 
 when in course of time the vacant thrones were ascended 
 by these new made men, the prophecy of Proverbs 
 30, v. 21, 22, was fulfilled : " When a servant reigneth the 
 earth is disquieted." 
 
 Barbarian splendour and luxurious living was the order 
 of the day with these new Kings, and the Brahmins who 
 were almost the only persons left with any learning, became 
 cowardly flatterers, and endeavoured to recover their former 
 influence by intrigues, or else withdrew themselves into the 
 woods, and lived together in lonely hermitages. Krishna is 
 the representative of the period of the Princes of low birth, 
 a period of luxury and laxity of manners. 
 
 The re-action was not long in setting in. It did not 
 emanate from the Brahmins, for they had become either 
 cowardly flatterers, or else haughty recluses. The re-action 
 against luxury commenced in the luxurious and pampered 
 courts. Sakya, the son of the King of Kapila Vasta, after- 
 wards known as Buddha, was the leader of the re-action. 
 In the midst of the pleasures of a court-life, he became dis- 
 gusted with them, and the inevitability of age, sickness and 
 death made so deep an impression on him, that, overcome 
 by this " world's dolor," he left his father's palace, and strove 
 to gain wisdom in a secluded Brahmin hermitage in the 
 forest. With the Brahmins, however, he failed to find the 
 wisdom he sought for, and accordingly he removed, followed 
 by a few disciples, to a hermitage of his own. At length 
 after many a severe conflict, he attained that knowledge in 
 the presence of which, Space and Time, creation and dissolu- 
 tion, dwindle into nothing. He now perceived the con- 
 necting links of the causes of existence, and their negation, 
 and with this knowledge he attained perfect wisdom, 
 Buddhi, and became himself Buddha. Regarding his new 
 knowledge, he puts to himself the following questions and 
 then answers them : 
 
 Question. What is the cause of this world's dolor : age, 
 sickness and death ? 
 A nswer. Birth . 
 
 Question. What is the cause of Birth ? 
 Answer. Love of the world and of existence. 
 
 Question. What is the cause of this love of the world 
 and of existence ? 
 
 Answer. Sensual longing. 
 
91 
 
 Question. What is the cause of sensual longing ? 
 A nswer. I gn oran ce. 
 
 o 
 
 When Ignorance is dispelled, the world's dolor comes to an 
 end, and age, sickness and death cease. But this ignorance 
 is not mere stupidity, it consists therein that man believes 
 things temporal to be eternal, and, therefore, what actually 
 is not, to be reality. 
 
 This ignorance is a hereditary sin, and propagates itself 
 from one birth to another, clouds man's understanding and 
 perverts his will. It first shows itself in pleasure and desire, 
 it then seeks everywhere satisfaction, and thus engenders 
 love of the world, love of life, desire of existence, &c. 
 These then are the impulses which lead to ever-continuing 
 consciousness of existence, with its world's dolor of age, sick- 
 ness, and death. It is this clinging to existence which after 
 death drives the spirit to other forms of existence, i. e., to 
 migration of the Soul. For it is the soul which through its 
 desire, clings to existence after the dissolution of the body. 
 By reason of this desire, the soul is driven to new forms of 
 existence in the cycles of time, and the bearing of the soul 
 in the lately deceased body determines the form of its next 
 body, whether that of a man of higher or of lower caste, or 
 even of an animal. The highest and last aim, therefore, of all 
 spiritual life and strife, is the CONQUEST OF THIS LOVE OF 
 
 EXISTENCE. 
 
 The means of effecting this is the Thiana or spiritual con- 
 templation, but it must be strenuously supported by out- 
 ward means. For this reason, a man should forsake the 
 world, " take up his abode among the roots of the trees" and 
 eat only what others leave or what is freely offered him. 
 This doctrine Sakkya taught, and also carried into practice, 
 for the Prince Kapila Vasta wandered about with a pot in 
 his hand, and ate only what was placed in the pot without 
 his asking. In this way he soon collected a large number 
 of followers, and especially of beggars, for begging is one of 
 the most favorite virtues of India. From Brahmins down to 
 Pariahs, everybody ran about with pot in hand and ate 
 what was given him. But it was impossible for everybody 
 to give up his occupation or trade and go about begging 
 with a pot, since then there would have been none left to 
 fill the pots. Buddha, therefore, founded a second class of 
 disciples who were permitted to remain in their occupation, 
 
92 
 
 but to whom it was properly inculcated, " that all family 
 life and all household cares bad only this one object ; 
 spending alms." He abolished all systems of castes, arid 
 taught " my doctrine is like heaven, where there is room 
 for all; for men and for women, for boys and for girls, for 
 rich and for poor. As all rivers lose their names when 
 their waters join those of the Ganges, so do the adherents of 
 Buddha cease to be Brahmins, Kshetriyas, Vaisyas, orSudras." 
 
 The aim of Buddha's doctrine is entire unconcernedness 
 towards existence. When there is no longer any more incli- 
 nation and longing for life, the separate life ceases, and the 
 soul is absorbed in Nirvana, i. e., in eternal emptiness, in the 
 eternal nothing. Such is the unconsoling doctrine of 
 Buddhism. To it the greatest evil is life, and, therefore, 
 greatest good is the destruction of life. 
 
 Buddha, therefore, went a step further than the Brahmi- 
 nical Vedantists. These taught as he did, that ignorance is 
 the root of the error in which the soul becomes identified 
 with the manas (mind), whereas the manas is only an 
 organ of the soul. By reason of this identification, it arises 
 that the soul feels drawn towards many things, and is 
 repelled by many others, and it is the longing that causes 
 pleasure and the aversion that causes pain. From this 
 longing or aversion, arise good or evil works which entail 
 either reward or punishment. Good deeds, then, aid as 
 much as evil ones towards the fettering of the soul ; 
 for " it is impossible to escape the fruits of works." This 
 separate existence must, therefore, continue in order that the 
 fruits of the works, good or evil, may be received. True 
 knowledge breaks the magic ring of ignorance and sets the 
 soul free, so that it can return to its original source. The 
 Vedantists say that this source is an absolute Being; 
 Buddha maintains that this source is an absolute nothing 
 and so their ways separate. Every composition is dissolved, 
 and all that remains is absolute Being says the Vedanta : 
 every composition is dissolved and every being passes away, 
 arid there remains but an absolute Nothing says Buddha. 
 
 Buddhism had rapid and enormous success and many 
 kings embraced it. But this success of Buddhism which 
 endeavoured to put an end to age, to sickness and to death, 
 was the cause of the ruin of its followers. They soon 
 found the roots of the trees uncomfortable dwellings, and 
 
93 
 
 they built themselves large cloisters fitted up with all the 
 wealth of the land, where they found it much more com- 
 fortable to renounce the world than at the roots of trees. 
 The Prince of Kapila Vasta forsook his father's palace and 
 sought out the desert, in order the better to be able 
 to contemplate that which is nothing. His disciples built 
 palace like cloisters in order by doing nothing to become 
 better able to serve that which is nothing. Split into eighteen 
 different sects they disputed about that which is nothing, 
 and so their days were numbered; Brahminism awoke to 
 a new life; numerous puranas celebrated the heroes of 
 Indian antiquity, the people began to love them anew, and 
 arose and drove the lazy Buddhists out of the country. 
 Their religious buildings, however, were turned into temples 
 to the deified heroes of former times and also to the 
 images of pure imagination. This was the manner in 
 which the temples of India took their commencement. 
 
 In such large temples there is naturally a very complicat- 
 ed worship. The idols are anointed morning arid evening, 
 and in some temples also at noon. This is generally done 
 with melted butter and sometimes with milk. It is not all 
 Brahmins who do this, but there are especial Poojaries 
 amongst them to whom this duty is assigned. Before wor- 
 ship the priest is bound to bathe, and during it, to repeat 
 the prescribed prayers (man trains). No mistakes may 
 be made, and after his bath, the priest may not come 
 in contact with even a breath of air that has been 
 wafted past the lower castes or Europeans. Then is 
 formed a regular procession of Indian musicians, who, in 
 truth, understand how to make a heathenish noise, and of 
 devadasar who have to dance before the idol, The anoint- 
 ing takes place amidst many ceremonies which it were 
 tedious and objectless to describe. After the oiling, the idol 
 is generally crowned with flowers or flowers are scattered in 
 front of it. Of course, the gods have sometimes to be 
 washed, as it is the smell in their neighbourhood is not 
 the most savoury. 
 
 Besides this daily worship, there are a number of festivals. 
 Generally there are 18 in the 3 7 ear, excluding the more 
 especial ones which celebrate certain events supposed to 
 have occurred on the spot. On such occasion as these, the 
 country people flock to the feasts in thousands. 
 
94 
 
 On certain especial occasions, the principal god is carried 
 round the best streets of the town. For this purpose there 
 are peculiar waggons or cars, built exactly like one of the 
 temple towers and covered from top to bottom with carvings 
 and figures of gods. Some of these cars are from 50 to 
 60 feet high. They move on solid wheels without spokes. 
 Long ropes are attached to the front, and hundreds of people 
 catch hold of and pull at these. The Pariahs from the 
 neighbouring villages are driven in for this service if they 
 do not come of their own free will. As the streets are often 
 soft and sandy, the car does not get very far in one day, nor 
 is this desired, in order that this species of enjoyment may 
 last all the longer. The Brahmins stand above and urge on 
 the people, whose excitement is also stimulated by repeated 
 shots. In former days, those especially excited used to 
 throw themselves beneath the wheels and allow themselves 
 to be crushed beneath them. This is no longer allowed, but 
 accidents are still of frequent occurrence amongst these 
 excited crowds. Only a few years ago at Chellumbrum, a 
 man was crushed to death, and a Brahmin had both of his 
 legs broken, so that he afterwards died. Christianity which 
 has obtained a footing in many of the villages surrounding 
 Chellumbrum, already begins to affect these cars, for the 
 Pariahs are no longer willing to be made to pull. 
 
 The cars may only be pulled by men, not by animals, and so 
 they have been obliged to make smaller cars which are easier 
 moved. Of course, the Brahmins try to conceal from the 
 people the real reason, but there are many earnest minds 
 among them who are able to recognize it, and who will 
 openly admit that their religion is going down hill. The 
 temples of India and the worship in them have had their 
 time and their age of prosperity. That has now passed 
 away never to return. As much wealth is connected with 
 these temples, they will, of course, still last a long time, as 
 dead trees remain a long time standing, until at last they 
 fall, unless they are previously hewn down. A Charle- 
 magne would convert India to Christianity by means 
 of the sword. A Constantine would put an end to idolatry 
 by an edict, and change the mighty temples into Christian 
 Churches. An Evangelical Mission, however, cannot use 
 such means, and must, therefore, be content to put up with 
 these small days, and wait for the coming of the time of the 
 Lord. What Christian Missions have as yet done in Tamil 
 land we will now endeavour to put before the reader. 
 
II. 
 
 THE MISSIONS IN THE LAND OF THE TAMULIANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 THE MISSION OF THE ANCIENT CHUECH. 
 
 THE last command which our Lord gave to His disciples 
 upon earth was " to go forth into all the world and to 
 preach the Gospel to every creature." And with this com- 
 mand was coupled the promise that He would be with 
 them until the end of the world. In obedience to this 
 command, and supported by the promise, as by a pilgrim's 
 staff, His disciples went forth into all the world and pro- 
 claimed the Gospel tidings to every creature that could and 
 would hear it. But they did not go into all the world at 
 once, for everything has its time. Even after the out- 
 pouring of the Holy Ghost the Apostles did not at once set 
 out, but first of all preached the Gospel to the Jews in order 
 to collect out of them the spiritual Israel. And even 
 when the elders of the people hardened themselves, stoned 
 Stephen, and persecuted the whole congregation, so that 
 they were compelled to scatter over the country, even then 
 the Apostles did not leave Jerusalem until they became 
 convinced that the people shared the blindness of their 
 elders, and that the Israel of the New Testament had already 
 been gathered from out of the Jews. From that time the 
 Apostles gradually forsook Jerusalem and Judea, and 
 travelled into all the world. John followed the Apostle 
 Paul to Asia Minor and remained in Ephesus. Peter came 
 to Babylon ; Bartholemeus went to Armenia; Thaddeus to 
 Persia and Thomas is reported to have gone over to India, 
 into the land of the Tamulians. Some nine miles south f 
 Madras, is a Hill named St. Thomas' Mount where pierced 
 by a spear the Apostle is said to have found a Martyr's death ; 
 and not far from there, is a village called St. Thome where 
 his grave is shown. And thousands of Christians are still 
 
96 
 
 existing, who ascribe their origin to the Apostle Thomas, 
 after whom they are also called Thomas Christians, or 
 Suriani, S}rrian Christians. For in former times, India was 
 not so far distant as it is now. When the centre of Christ- 
 endom was in and around Palestine, the messengers of 
 the Gospel were so much nearer to India. Indian life 
 and manners were more familiar to them than they are 
 to us, stiff western races. And so already at the end of 
 the second century, St. Pantaenus left his influential Pro- 
 fessor's Chair at Alexandria in order to minister to the 
 Christians in India, for together with the pride of the Stoics 
 he had also thrown aside contempt for inferiors, and in 
 return had learnt at the feet of the Lord humility and 
 heartfelt piety. In the fourth century, one Theophilus, called 
 the " Indian," worked in Southern India; and in the Island 
 of Ceylon where he found old established Christians. And 
 the monkish merchant or merchant monk, Cosmos, who, 
 from his journey to India, received the name of Indico- 
 pleustes, relates of the year 535, that he certainly found 
 Christians in Ceylon and in Malabar (South India) who at 
 Kaliana had a Bishop who had come from Persia. In 
 addition to the sea journey to India there was formerly a 
 land route via Persia. The Nestorians were for some time 
 zealous propagators of Christianity, Central Asia was dot- 
 ted over with Christian communities arid willing messen- 
 fers started from Balk and from Samarcand toward the 
 outh and South East. Even the cold Northern races 
 found India early, and in the 9th century, Alfred the Great 
 is said to have despatched an embassy under Sigh elm, 
 Bishop of Shireburn, to the grave of St. Thomas' in the 
 land of the Tamulians. This embassy is said to have 
 arrived at its place of destination, to have worshipped at 
 the grave of the Apostle and to have then returned pro- 
 vided with precious stones and articles of merchandize. 
 
 When the Portuguese had settled in India, they soon 
 came in contact with these Thomas Christians, and were 
 welcomed by them with great joy. But this joy was only 
 of short duration and was soon changed to bitter pain, for 
 instead of improving their deficiency in the knowledge of 
 Christ, the Portuguese endeavoured by every art, by kindness 
 and by oppression to win them over to the Pope. The 
 Bishop of these Thomas Christians, Mar Gabriel gave to the 
 Dutch at the commencement of the eighteenth century a 
 
97 
 
 long account of their circumstances from which I will only 
 extract the following : " Fifty -five years after the birth of 
 the Messiah, the Apostle Thomas came to Mylapore (near 
 Madras) on the Coroinandel Coast and preached the Gospel. 
 From thence he came to Malabar, preached the Gospel, 
 collected congregations in several places, and fixed their 
 Pastors. He then returned to the Coromandel Coast, where 
 he was stabbed by a heathen with a spear, and thus ended 
 his life. After some time all the Pastors whom St. 
 Thomas had appointed died off, and a false doctrine arose 
 which was followed by many. Only 160 families remained 
 true. But in 745, there arrived from Bagdad Christians and 
 Priests who settled down in Malabar. King Peroomal, to 
 whom the new arrivals addressed themselves, received 
 them kindly and gave them land in order to build shops and 
 Churches. He also bestowed upon them many marks of 
 honor, and the right to trade throughout the whole country 
 as long as the sun and moon should shine, as may be read 
 to this day on tablets of copper. Thus, the Christians lived 
 happy and prosperous, and the Christian Patriarch of the 
 East sent them many shepherds and teachers from Bagdad, 
 Nineveh and Jerusalem. After the Portuguese had come to 
 Malabar, the Patriarch sent four more Bishops, Mar Mardina, 
 Mar Jacob, Mar Thoma, and Jene Allay, who ruled the Chris- 
 tians and built many Churches. After their death, there 
 came to Malabar about the year 1550, another Mar Abraham. 
 But the Portuguese resolved that no more teachers should 
 be allowed to come, and guarded all the roads by which the 
 Syrian Priests could come. When now the Christians had 
 no instructors, the Portuguese spent much trouble in endea- 
 vouring to draw them over. But when they could not 
 succeed they gave the King of Cochin 30,000 Ducats, and 
 with his assistance persecuted the Christians for three years, 
 until they could bear it no longer and reconciled them- 
 selves with the Portuguese. From that time the Syrian 
 customs were changed, and the Priests were forbidden to 
 marry. That lasted for fifty-five years. Then there came 
 to Mylapore a Priest named Mar Matti, sent by the Patriarch 
 from Syria. Him the Portuguese seized and threw into the 
 sea. Then the Christians gathered together and swore that 
 they would have nothing more to do with the Portuguese." 
 
 Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, made the greatest exertions 
 to induce these Christians to submit to Koine. He tra- 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 veiled through the various Christian districts and distri- 
 buted many alms in order to effect a beginning. He was 
 backed up by. his purchased heathen help and was accom- 
 panied by a troop of Portuguese soldiers, but he did not 
 use them for open force. Wherever he came, he found the 
 Churches empty and the people but little inclined even to 
 listen to him. In the meantime his progress, his retinue and 
 his alms attracted always fresh crowds. In his Sermons he 
 was in the habit of instructing the Christians thus: He 
 who does not enter the sheepfold by the door is a thief and 
 a murderer. The door, however, is the Pope at Rome, and 
 as the Patriarch at Babylon has not been inducted into his 
 See by the Pope, therefore, he is a thief and a murderer, &c. 
 When the Christians laid before him their old documents 
 to prove to him that they had always stood in connection 
 with the Patriarch of Babylon, he tore the documents 
 before their eyes. This so irritated the Christians that 
 they would fain have torn him also. But the Priests knew 
 his power and restrained the people, hoping to get more by 
 stratagem and delay than by open force. Neither side, 
 therefore, was wanting in deception and cunning, and this 
 makes the struggle a very painful one. 
 
 At last they agreed to hold a meeting of the Syrian 
 Priests and to arrive at some conclusion. The Archdeacon, 
 for there was no Bishop, a number of Priests and many 
 armed Christians under two leaders appeared at the Con- 
 ference. The Archdeacon first asked Menezes if he had not 
 stigmatized their Patriarch as a heretic. Before I answer 
 that question, exclaimed Menezes, first tell me whether you, 
 believe the Gospel of St. John. We would rather die than 
 deny its truth, the Christians cried. Very good, said 
 Menezes, but the Gospel of St. John teaches that the Word 
 became flesh and dwelt among us, but all Nestorians, to 
 which sect the Patriarch of Babylon belongs, teach that the 
 Word did not become flesh but dwelt in Christ as in a 
 temple. To this Christians knew not what to reply, but 
 insisted that Menezes should only conduct himself among 
 them as a stranger and as a guest, and not as a master and 
 a superior, that he should make no Ecclesiastical arrange- 
 ments, and that least of all should he introduce unknown 
 practices and ceremonies. Thereupon everything was 
 adjourned to the next Conference. The Archdeacon sent 
 a circular to all Christians warning them expressly to have 
 
09 
 
 nothing to do with Menezes since he wished not onty to 
 bring them under the dominion of Rome, but also to make 
 them subjects of Portugal. This, however, by no means 
 prevented Menezes from continuing his visits to the Chris- 
 tian villages or from appointing and ordaining Priests, &c., 
 just as if he had been the recognized Bishop of the Syrian 
 Christians. His money, his influence, and the pomp of his 
 progress, of course, helped him to adherents, and even villages 
 began to go over to him and to recognize him as their 
 rightful superior. 
 
 These results of the Bishop of Goa excited the greatest 
 apprehensions on the part of the Archdeacon and of the 
 Syrian Christians. A Syrian Bishop there was not, and 
 had there even been one, what could he in his poverty and 
 helplessness have done against the rich and crafty Por- 
 tuguese ? The helplessness of his situation so excited the 
 poor Archdeacon that at last he wrote to Menezes that if he 
 did not leave off disquieting his Christians and perverting 
 his congregations, he would collect the Christians who still 
 remained faithful and assassinate him. Thereupon, Menezes 
 excommunicated him as an enemy of the Pope, and sum- 
 moned him to appear before the Judgment Seat of God in 
 order to give account of the many souls which through his 
 fault remained in error and were ruined. When the poor 
 Archdeacon received this letter, he fell into a swoon, and 
 soon afterwards declared that he was willing to submit to 
 Rome. 
 
 On the 20th June 1599, a Synod was summoned, at which 
 the Archdeacon and 53 Priests appeared. Menezes came 
 with a large following of civilians and military men, in the 
 midst of whom was the Governor of Cochin accompanied 
 by a Military escort. The Sessions were, of course, held 
 without any disturbance, and the poor Syrians agreed to 
 everything that was proposed to them. They recognized 
 the Pope and denounced the Patriarch of Babylon. One 
 thing only they would not agree to. They would not pray 
 in Latin. It is true that of Syriac they understood no 
 more than they did of Latin, but the} 7 " insisted upon their 
 Liturgy remaining Syriac whatever else was altered. And 
 Menezes allowed them this rag of independance, the rather 
 that wrapped it in it, they might the less feel their complete 
 subjection. 
 
100 
 
 The Bishop of Goa after much trouble and expense on 
 his part and grief and heart-burning on the other part, had, 
 therefore, at last effected his purpose and the Syrians became 
 Romish. Those Priests who would not put away their 
 wives were dismissed, most of the Syrian books were burnt, 
 and in their place others with prayers to Mary and the 
 Saints were introduced, and then the glorious work was 
 complete. About the heathen around Menezes did not 
 trouble himself. They might go to hell as fast as they liked. 
 The Christians too might remain as ignorant as ever, but 
 one thing they must do, they must learn how to pray to 
 Mary and the Saints. Whether they knew more than 
 before of Christ was not the Bishop's matter, but what he 
 insisted upon was that they should know the Pope and know 
 him as their master and on this depended their salvation. 
 
 But this triumph lasted no longer than did the power of 
 the Portuguese. And when after 50 years, this power was 
 broken, the work on which Menezes had spent so much 
 care also fell to the ground. By far the majority of the 
 congregations returned to their old customs, and all that 
 remained of the Bishop's laborious work was a lasting 
 disquiet and dissatisfaction. It is true, that they now 
 received fresh Bishops from Antioch, but the Christians 
 were so split up that even the Bishops could not restore 
 order ; and this because they had come not solely to feed 
 their flocks, but also to increase the importance of the 
 Patriarch and to collect for him money. As in this latter 
 object they did not succeed, the Patriarch sent other Bishops 
 after them to manage matters better, so that in 1848, the 
 Patriarch of Antioch had five Bishops amongst the Thomas 
 Christians each of whom was engaged in excommunicating 
 the others ! 
 
 The Dutch seem to have troubled their heads very little 
 about these Christians. They banished the Portuguese, 
 occupied their Settlements, and took from them all the 
 profitable commerce of India, and with that they were 
 satisfied. But they protected the Christians from the 
 crippling and Christianity-destroying influence of the Jesuits. 
 But when in their turn the Dutch had to yield and the 
 English stepped into their place, they soon began to cast 
 glances at the Thomas Christians. They, however, com- 
 menced their work in love as Christians should, and only 
 
101 
 
 endeavoured to instil life into the dead bones of the Chris- 
 tians, they did not seek to win them over to their Church 
 and customs. And this is a duty which all Evangelical 
 Christians owe to this ancient Church. 
 
 The English found still 55 Churches that had nothing in 
 common with Rome, but which recognized the Patriarch of 
 Antioch as their head. Their Bishop, Mar Dion) r sius, was 
 a good natured, amiable man who desired the good of his 
 flock, but as he did not know how to bring this about 
 himself he was only too willing to let others effect it for 
 him. From 1816, English Missionaries laboured among the- 
 Thomas Christians. They built a High School to which 
 two Professors of S} r riac and others for the Hebrew, Latin 
 and English languages were appointed. The heathen Queen 
 gave several thousand Rupees for this purpose, and in 
 addition sufficient ground to erect the necessary buildings. 
 Lower schools were erected in different places, and before- 
 long there were 900 scholars studying under the Mission- 
 aries. The Bible was translated and printed and willingly 
 read by the Priests unchecked by the Bishop. Everything 
 remained in this hopeful state as long as Mar Dionysius- 
 and the old Missionaries lived. But after them came a new 
 race and a new spirit that also wished to be something. 
 The new Missionaries were by no means pleased with the 
 certainly somewhat peculiar customs of the Thomas Chris- 
 tians, and would willingly have altered them. Unfortu- 
 nately for them, however, they had not the smallest power 
 to do so. It is true, that as before, they could preach the 
 crucified Christ in the Churches and teach Him in the 
 schools, but this did not seem to them to be enough, espe- 
 cially as between all this the Priests taught erroneous 
 doctrines. One of their most favorite errors was the doc- 
 trine of the efficacy of the pikers of the Priests for the 
 deceased. And this error was the more cherished because 
 it gained for the Priests considerable profits, since the 
 departed could be helped by the prayers of the Priests only. 
 The doctrine regarding the Sacraments was also fault}', 
 though in this respect the Missionaries, perhaps, erred as 
 much on one side as the Thomas Christians did on the other. 
 The new Bishop too was no longer so friendly as the old 
 one had been. He still suffered the Missionaries, but he 
 showed little interest in their work and no gratitude for 
 their trouble. Besides he was no longer alone, and rival 
 
102 
 
 Bishops detracted from his importance. The position of the 
 Missionaries and the Bishop was, therefore, by no means an 
 easy one; and when added to all this, the pious but impul- 
 sive Bishop Wilson wished to extend his mandate over the 
 Thomas Christians also, they declared that they could only 
 recognize the Patriarch at Antioch as their Head. Upon 
 this the Missionaries withdrew and collected into congre- 
 gations those of the Thomas Christians who adhered to them 
 just as they would any other Converts. This, of course, put 
 an end to all side by side working, and now the Thomas 
 Christians contained not only a Romish but also an Anglican 
 fraction. When in addition to this, it is remembered that 
 they were by no means agreed among themselves, the only 
 wonder is that they did not entirely disappear. This, how- 
 ever, has not happened for they continue to this day. It 
 only remains for us now to cast a short glance at that 
 fraction which has remained true to its old customs, and 
 whose Bishops still come from Syria. 
 
 The real Thomas Christians have still many Churches, 
 and mostly roomy buildings capable of containing thousands 
 of worshippers. The Churches are all built after one style, 
 and are long and narrow. The entrance is low, for those 
 who enter should bring humility with them. There is a 
 roomy chancel for the many Priests who represent almost 
 every time and stage of life. Not a few are ordained as 
 mere boys, and not seldom from the sole reason that the 
 poor Bishop is in want of the ordination fees. There are 
 a number of crosses about the Church, but no images. In 
 front of the altar a lamp is always burning. The altar 
 place is raised a few steps above the chancel, and together 
 with the high altar is separated from the rest of the Church 
 by a curtain. In front of the curtain on the right and the 
 left, stands an altar called a throne. Such are their Churches ; 
 of decoration there is but little. 
 
 The Bishop wears a long red robe like all Syrian Bishops, 
 and on occasions of State he adds to it a yellow over-robe. 
 The Priests at their ordination have to bind themselves 
 to the Nicene Creed, they are dressed in white and wear 
 their beards as long as they will grow. Each Parochas 
 Pastor at the head of a Church is aided by four lay elders 
 with whom he forms a sort of Church council, reproves 
 transgressors, imposes fines, and even excommunicates. The 
 
103 
 
 lay elders must have resided for 12 years within the Parish 
 before they can be elected to the post. The Liturgy is very 
 long, and though the people do not understand one word of 
 it, they regard it with great affection, for they believe that 
 our Lord Himself and His Apostles spoke Syriac. The eldest 
 of the Priests chaunts the Liturgy in a loud voice, and the 
 remaining Priests pray in a subdued tone. The congregation, 
 however, pray silently in their own language. The song 
 of praise of the Angels : Glory to God in the Highest, on 
 earth peace and good will towards man, is sung by all the 
 Priests aloud, and at the same time they grasp with both 
 hands the right hand of the eldest Priest. They then 
 stretch out their hands to the nearest standing men of the 
 congregation and cry, Peace ! and these in their turn bold 
 out their hands to the men near them with the same ejacu- 
 lation, and then they break up. The women sit apart 
 from the men. The Bible is read out, but there is seldom 
 any exposition of it. After the close of the Service, the 
 eldest Priest goes to the Church door arid administers his 
 blessing to each member of the congregation as he passes 
 out. This blessing is withheld from persons living in open 
 sin, and this withholdal is keenly felt. 
 
 On Sundays, the Thomas Christians have two Services 
 like all others, but on the high feast days, they have three, 
 at morning, evening and midnight. At such times the men 
 kiss the hands of the Priests and promise obedience. Dur- 
 ing Advent and Lent they have fasts. 
 
 During the celebration of the Last Supper, the Priests 
 place the Cup to the East and the Paton to the West of 
 the altar. Two other plates stand by, on the one a spoon, 
 and on the other a sponge, with which the Priest wipes his 
 fingers. The bread to be given to the communicants is 
 baked during the Service, it is of maize, and is made into 
 round flat cakes. Several crosses are stamped upon these 
 cakes which also serve to facilitate the breaking. At the 
 consecration, the Priest raises the bread, whereupon drums 
 and cymbals are struck up from among the congregation. 
 The curtain falls, and the Priests remain in the altar space 
 unseen by the congregation. After silent prayer, the curtain 
 is drawn up, and the officiating Priest steps forward. He 
 holds the bread in his right and the cup in his left hand, 
 and sings a hymn. After having thus shown the elements 
 
104 
 
 to the people, he again turns to the altar and himself 
 receives the Sacrament, during which the music again 
 strikes up. After silent prayer, the Priest administers the 
 Sacrament to the people, by breaking the bread and dip- 
 ping it in the wine. Whilst receiving it, the communicants 
 hold before them a white cloth. The Holy Supper is cele- 
 brated three times during the year. A piece of the bread 
 is preserved from each celebration, and is mixed with the 
 dough from which the bread used at the next celebration 
 is made. In this way they imagine that they still have the 
 same bread which our Lord once distributed to his disciples. 
 
 At Easter is celebrated a Love feast in connection with 
 the Sacrament. This consists of cakes and of plantains, 
 and is held not in the Church, but in an open space near 
 the Church. The Christians seat themselves in rows on 
 the ground, the Priest blesses the gifts and distributes them 
 to the sitters who eat them in silence. The elders walk 
 up and down and see that all receive an equal quantity. 
 
 Around the Church are the graves of the Christians, but 
 influential members of the congregation are fond of being 
 buried within the Church. The Bishop is buried in front 
 of the altar in a sitting position. The corpse is arrayed in 
 full robes, &c., has a wooden cross hanging on the breast, 
 another cross in the right hand and a shepherd's crook in 
 the left. The nearest mourners shut themselves up for a 
 week, the week of mourning, and after this, invite their 
 friends and neighbours to a meal. At this meal, a relation 
 gives to the chief mourner a new turban, whereupon the 
 time of mourning ceases. 
 
 The Thomas Christians are, in general, of a light com- 
 plexion and show to advantage by the side of the neigh- 
 bouring heathen. One remarkable trait about them is that 
 they despise eating with heathens, (whilst generally it is the 
 heathen who will not eat with Christians) and that they have 
 strong caste feelings is shown by the Rev. H. Baker, (C.M.S.) 
 in his reports from Cottayam. When, for instance, at the 
 instigation of the Missionary a few Christians of low caste 
 entered the Church of some Thomas Christians who had 
 joined the English Church, these latter felt themselves so 
 uncomfortable, that they actually jumped out of the 
 windows and ran away. This happened in 1867, and is only 
 one of the many instances of English Missionaries meddling 
 
105 
 
 in caste matters. For a Mission without caste exists only 
 in the heads of a few people in Europe. 
 
 Intercourse among the Thomas Christians is somewhat 
 ceremonious, but by no means artificial. They bare their 
 heads before persons of a higher rank (which Hindoos do not 
 do) and hold the right hand before the mouth when speak- 
 ing to a superior ; (this is a common practice among Tamu- 
 liaus to prevent the breath from proceeding unrestrained 
 and to defile the person of the superior). The women also 
 generally show to advantage by the side of the heathen. 
 Cultivation is the chief employment of the Thomas Chris- 
 tians, but they also carry on all kinds of trades. They 
 make elegant fans which are sometimes finished up by the 
 Priests. Their pertinacious hold on Christianity does them 
 honor, though, unfortunately, they have lost both the will 
 and the spirit to proclaim it to the heathen. 
 
 I have not been able to omit the primitive Church of 
 Southern India, although its present place of residence is 
 beyond the present boundaries of the land of the Tamulians. 
 For the separation of Malabar from the Tamil country, is of 
 recent date ; even our first Missionaries call Tamil land Mala- 
 bar, and the language, even now not very much different 
 Malabarish. But then the Thomas Christians were spread 
 much more over Southern India and the place from which 
 they started was, as we have seen, Mylapore near Madras. 
 The Komish admixtures and oppressions as narrated above 
 have probably spoilt the Church for ever, from being the 
 starting point of an Indian Mission. Like all the ancient 
 Churches of the East it has become petrified amidst its for- 
 mulas. But as it is, it forms an interesting and instructive 
 ruin from ancient times. May the light now thrown upon it 
 from Protestant Missions bring life and salvation to the 
 whole body in general and to many souls in particular. 
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 THE ROMISH MISSION. 
 
 THE old road by sea to India lay through the Red Sea. 
 It was through the Red Sea that Solomon's ships sailed 
 and brought him " Gold, Ivory, and precious Stones" from 
 Ophir. Commerce with India continued to turn Merchants 
 
 14 
 
10G 
 
 into Princes as is proved by Venice and Genoa. By the 
 fall of Constantinople, however, and after it in consequence 
 of the increasing influence and power of the Turks, this 
 road to India was to Christian Merchants gradually made 
 more impracticable, and at last entirely closed. Columbus 
 sought a road to India when he sailed to the West, though 
 he only discovered America. And though this new country 
 attracted much attention the longing after India remained 
 unappeased. For it is with truth that a German Philo- 
 sopher has called India a land of longing, of fantasy, and of 
 speculation. But in order to perfect the picture, the defini- 
 tion of an Englishman should be added, who calls it a land 
 where everything dies and only death lives. 
 
 The Portuguese chiefly undertook to discover a new Sea 
 route to India, and they no longer sailed West but South 
 along the coast of Africa. But when they reached the 
 Southernmost point of Africa they encountered such mighty 
 storms that they called this Cape the Cape of Storms, and 
 returned. For, there, during ten months in the year, strong 
 winds blow continually from one quarter, unchecked and 
 unbroken by any land, so that the waves turn not only into 
 mountains, but into mountain ranges, to navigate the deep 
 gorges of which, other vessels are required and another 
 science to what the Navigators of old possessed. But 
 necessity is the mother of invention, and even these diffi- 
 culties were overcome. "Call it not the Cape of Storms, 
 but the Cape of Good Hope," exclaimed the King of Portugal, 
 and again sent forth his Sea Heroes. This time they were 
 more successful, passed the Southern point of Africa in safety 
 and in May of 1498, actually arrived in India. They landed 
 on the Western Coast of Southern India and dropped anchor 
 before Calicut in Malabar. Thus, was the sea route to India 
 discovered which has had results of such importance to the 
 whole country. The sailors were beside themselves with 
 joy and gratitude at last to have reached the long-sought-for 
 and desired land ; and as they wished to offer their thanks 
 to God, they ran straight into a temple. Here, in the dark 
 back ground, they found an altar, and an image upon it and 
 lamps burning on both sides ; just as in the Churches 
 which they had left behind them. Without hesitation they 
 threw themselves on their knees and offered up their 
 prayers. But after they had stood up, one of the sailors 
 became somewhat doubtful, and pointing at the images 
 
107 
 
 exclaimed : " But if these are by an) T chance devils, I have 
 not offered my prayers to them !" Such similarity is there 
 between the idolatry of India and that of the Papists. 
 
 When the Portuguese started to find India, they had not 
 come without Priests. Vasco de Gama had taken two Monks 
 on board, but one had died at sea and the other died during 
 the same year. But already in September 1500, there ar- 
 rived eight lay brothers and eight Monks. They at once 
 courageously commenced Missionary work, and had, in a 
 short time, converted one Brahmin and some Nairs. In the 
 meantime, the Portuguese firmly established themselves 
 on the Coast of Malabar and drove out the Mahomedans 
 with great cruelty. In 1570, Albuquerque took Goa and 
 made it the seat of the Government and Missionary en- 
 terprize. Albuquerque, however, had continued fights to 
 carry on against the Mahomedans, and foresaw that for 
 generations to come it would take more soldiers than Portu- 
 gal would be able to supply, and he, therefore, resolved to 
 draw his recruits from India. He managed that in this 
 manner, he married his soldiers to native girls and the 
 children of these marriages were educated in Military schools. 
 It is true, that neither the Portuguese soldiers, the girls, nor 
 their parents, regarded these marriages with any degree of 
 liking, but Albuquerque knew how to make them palatable. 
 He killed or banished the Mahomedans, confiscated their 
 possessions of lands and houses, and gave them as dowries 
 to these marriages. This had the desired effect. In a short 
 time, hundreds and thousands of such marriages were cele- 
 brated, and as the girls were compelled to embrace Christi- 
 anity before the marriages were celebrated or the dowries 
 bestowed, Goa was soon filled with Christians. They were 
 Christians, however, by name only and by . form, and 
 these were allowed to resemble heathenish forms as much 
 as possible. Goa was now soon raised to a Bishopric, and 
 the operations of the Franciscans were now confined, not 
 only to the Western, but also began to spread to the 
 Eastern Coast, as far as My lap ore near Madras and Nega- 
 patam, South of Tranquebar, both situated in the Tamil 
 country. As the Mahomedans had treated the lower castes 
 as slaves, the Portuguese were regarded in the light of liber- 
 ators, and on one occasion as many as 20,000 Maravars alone 
 presented themselves for baptism. They were baptized, 
 but as there were by no means sufficient Priests for so large 
 
108 
 
 a number, and as those that there were did not display any 
 remarkable zeal, the Maravars merely conformed to the 
 Christian ceremonies and stitching them like new rags on 
 their old garments of heathenism which remained as they had 
 been before. The savour of this new spreading Christianity 
 was, therefore, by no means a sweet one, and we are bound 
 to thank the Hindoos that they called what they saw, not 
 Christianity, but the Feringhee religion. It was the re- 
 ligion of the Portuguese in India full of meanness, greed 
 and cruelty, flaunting itself in processions of flags and 
 crosses and in the carrying about of wooden and gilded 
 images, instead of stone ones smeared with oil ; of the meek 
 and humble spirit in Christ, there were but few traces to be 
 found either among the Portuguese who had come to the 
 country or among those who had been born there. 
 
 King John III of Portugal protected the mission among 
 his subjects in a really royal manner and we are bound 
 to mention it to his honor. Whilst the first ten Jesuits were 
 yet in Rome, he begged for six for his service. The self- 
 denial and the energy of this new brotherhood seemed to 
 the King to be peculiarly adapted to the difficult work of a 
 mission among the heathen, and he could scarcely foresee 
 what evil results would spring from such small beginnings. 
 At first, however, he only received two of the brethren, 
 Rodrigues and Francois Xavier. To the first was entrusted 
 the newly founded Missionary Establishment at Coimbra, 
 which the King had so richly endowed that before long 100 
 scholars received in it instruction and food, and in a short 
 time this number was doubled. Besides this school, the 
 King founded another in Goa for the education of country- 
 born Priests and Catechists, and this again was so generously 
 endowed that the establishment of Priests, Teachers, &c., 
 numbered above 100 persons, and there were in addition 
 sufficient funds to maintain a large number of Students 
 amounting in a short time to 500. Thus richly did the 
 King sow and it is not to be wondered at that a rich har- 
 vest followed. In 1743, J. C. Visher, a Dutch Chaplain, 
 reports that half the population of Goa consisted of clericals, 
 and that these were tar more numerous than even the 
 soldiers, for every ship brought out a number of Monks of 
 various orders from Europe, whilst in addition, many of the 
 Natives were ordained in Goa from whence they spread 
 over the whole country. 
 
109 
 
 The second of the ten first Jesuits whom the King re- 
 ceived was Francois Xavier. Upon him the King placed 
 great hopes, and having entrusted him with many powers 
 and caused him to be invested with the authority of the 
 Church, he despatched him to India. It had come to the 
 notice of the King, that with the increase of the number of 
 Christians, there had been no increase in piety. Xavier, 
 however, was quite the man to undertake a difficult task. 
 His only misfortune was that he was a Jesuit. When 
 friends endeavoured to dissuade him from attempting a 
 long journey to a savage people in an unhealthy climate, 
 Xavier replied : " If the money and spices of the country can 
 tempt Merchants to disregard all dangers, shall Missionaries 
 be less heroic ? shall not the unhappy people learn the bless- 
 ings of Redemption ? Their character may be barbarous, 
 but though they were much worse, still God, who can out 
 of the stones raise up children to Abraham, can soften their 
 hearts ! And if I am only able to win one soul to life, I 
 would still consider myself rewarded for all the troubles 
 and the dangers with which you seek to terrify me." Thus 
 minded, Xavier started forth, and implored God not to spare 
 him troubles and sorrows. He left unused the cabin and its 
 conveniences which the King had ordered to be fitted out 
 for him, and willingly shared with the soldiers and the 
 sailors their hard fare. At the same time he endeavoured 
 with zealous fire to introduce godly fear and order among 
 his wild companions. On the 6th May 1542, he landed in 
 Goa, and labored there for five months, endeavouring to 
 introduce order and to reform the depraved customs. 
 Priests and laymen bowed before this spirit, or retreated 
 timidly out of his way, and even thus acknowledged his 
 superiority. 
 
 After these preparatory labors, Xavier commenced his 
 journeys and his work among the heathen. He travelled 
 at first along the Coast towards the South, and there found 
 thousands of fishermen who, it is true, had been baptized, 
 but who had nevertheless remained in the deepest ignorance. 
 He set faithfully to work with them, but after his own 
 fashion. Of the language he understood but very little, but 
 he had learnt by heart the Ten Commandments, the Creed, 
 the Lord's Prayer, and Ave Maria, and what he had learnt, 
 he now endeavoured to teach. A number of soldiers accom- 
 panied him to protect, and some Priests to assist. His 
 
110 
 
 entry with this retinue soon attracted the curious of the 
 village, and by ringing a little bell, he soon collected others. 
 With those already baptized, he commenced his instruction 
 by saying that there was only one God and that He was 
 Triune, and then he repeated the Lord's Prayer. His bearers 
 all repeated it with incredible joy. Then followed Ave 
 Maria, and after that the Creed. At each Article, he asked 
 them if they believed that, " and they exclaimed with loud 
 cries, and with their hands folded over their breasts, that 
 they believed it firmly. He then told them that all who 
 firmly believed these Articles were good Christians. Then 
 followed the Ten Commandments, and he told them " that 
 the Christian law was contained in these maxims, that he 
 who obeyed them faithfully was a good Christian, for whom 
 eternal life was in store ; but on the other hand, that he 
 who broke one of these Commandments, was a bad Christian, 
 who, if he did not repent of his sins, would be eternally 
 damned," of a Redeemer there was nowhere any trace ! His 
 name is mentioned between the Articles of the Creed in one 
 or other of these forms, sometimes by both following one 
 after the other: "0 Jesu, Thou Son of the living God, 
 grant that we may perfectly believe this Article of the 
 Creed, and that Thou mayest grant this, we offer to Thee, 
 the following prayer of which Thou art the Author : Our 
 Father, &c., and : Holy Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, obtain for us from thy beloved Son that we may 
 believe this Article without any doubt. Ave Maria, &c." 
 Poor Saviour ! who can give nothing out of love, but must 
 do so either in return for a Pater noster, or in consequence 
 of Mary's intercession ! And what good was there of a 
 Redeemer when the Ten Commandments are nothing more 
 than ' Christian law' and nothing is said of their being a 
 mirror to the soul for the convincing of sin. For where 
 the law does not work in us a knowledge of sin and thus 
 become our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we 
 might be justified by faith : Gal. iii, 124, it is natural that 
 one should not know what to do with the Lamb of God 
 that takes the sins of the world. 
 
 Such was the nature of Xavier's work, and he soon pre- 
 vailed upon thousands, so that they gave their consent 
 with 'loud cries' and allowed themselves to be baptized. 
 According to his own report, he baptized in Travancore 
 in one month 10,000 until "in consequence of the exer- 
 
Ill 
 
 tion in baptizing, his hands became utterly exhausted." 
 As he had not sufficient Priests to leave behind for 
 the instruction of the converts, he chose out of each vil- 
 lage the best man and placed him over the rest as an 
 elder, with instructions to collect the congregation every 
 Sunday, and to repeat what had been already learnt. And 
 so he travelled through the Coast villages and baptized 
 probably some 200,000 persons, mostly of the fisherman's 
 caste. The poor Apostle Peter is quite thrown into the 
 back ground in sight of such activity, and even the Apostle 
 Paul cannot boast of such missionary success as this. 
 Xavier baptized his hundred-thousands within three years. 
 
 But after three years even he was weary "of these results. 
 He forsook India and went to the Molucca Islands. Two 
 years afterwards, 1549, he returned to India, but his plea- 
 sure in the work as well as his hope had vanished. At the 
 commencement of his Missionary labors, he had written : 
 "On Sundays, I collect together in the Chapel the men and 
 the women, the little boys and the little girls, and they all 
 come with incredible joy and the warmest longing to hear 
 the word of God." And only five years afterwards he 
 wrote to Loyola : " The whole race of Hindoos is barbar- 
 ous and will listen to nothing that does not suit its bar- 
 barous customs. Regarding the knowledge of what is 
 god-like and virtuous it cares but little. Most of them 
 are bad, virtue is odious to them; they are incredibly 
 versatile and inconstant, and believe in little or nothing. 
 So far has sin and deceit become with them a habitude." 
 At last, however, he despairs entirely and writes : "The 
 natives are, on account of the magnitude of their sins, quite 
 unfitted to receive the Gospel." In this belief, or rather 
 unbelief, he left India and went to Japan. Returned from 
 thence, he prepared for a voyage to China, and had indeed 
 started for that country, intending to enter it in disguise, 
 when he met his death on the Island Sancian. Xavier's 
 great self-denial and self-sacrifice which he displayed from 
 the commencement of his work, must always excite admir- 
 ation, and may shame many another Missionary. His pre- 
 cipitate zeal, however, and impatience, leaving his false 
 doctrine and practice out of the question, should also serve 
 as a warning. In a blind over-estimation of his own powers, 
 he often venturously implored God to impose upon him 
 more adversities, and yet, when only a slight adversity of 
 
112 
 
 duty was laid upon him, and he did not at once see great 
 results of his superficial activity, he was unable to bear it, 
 he trembled and fled. 
 
 Like Xavier, the remaining Jesuits in India also began to 
 despair, and fancied their powers might be employed with 
 more advantage in some other field. Laynes, their general, 
 however, would not hear of this and earnestly ordered them 
 to remain in India, and the good King of Portugal, by no 
 means despaired of Missionary work in India, or allowed 
 his zeal to flag. He caused most of the Churches, cloisters 
 and schools, to be built at his own expense and the Mis- 
 sionaries were supported by him in every way. And as 
 far as the new Converts were concerned, he behaved towards 
 them as a generous Prince and Father. He ordered the 
 Governors to provide the native Christians with appoint- 
 ments according to their capabilities. From the rest, he 
 removed all taxation and other burdens, and those who 
 were persecuted by the heathen and left destitute, he caused 
 to be fed at his expense. He ordered the heathen through- 
 out his dominions to cease all public idolatry, but they were 
 not to be forced to believe. It is true that all these orders 
 were not strictly obeyed, but John III of Portugal is a 
 shining example to Christian Kings who have heathen 
 subjects. Nor was the blessing wanting ; for even after the 
 departure and death of the hasty Xavier, the work so spread 
 and increased, that whole districts and thousands of inha- 
 bitants embraced Christianity, so that the words of the 
 Apostle were here fulfilled : " He who sows abundantly, 
 shall reap abundantly." That the harvest turned out as it 
 did was, however, not the fault of the King, arid amidst all 
 the chaff there was probably some good grain also. The 
 next generation might well have been better, if only the 
 shepherds had been the right people. 
 
 The very opposite of this activity, which concentrated 
 so much power in a small space, we find at Madura one 
 of the most important towns in the land of the Tamulians. 
 In 1595, already, a station had been formed at Madura and 
 after the manner now become usual and therefore with the 
 same results. There were a few Christians in and around 
 Madura, and to them Pater Fernandez was sent. He was 
 sent alone and left there alone. He was in all probability 
 by no means idle, for no complaint of the kind is to be 
 
118 
 
 found. He even built a Church and succeeded in keeping 
 his people together. But during eleven years (from 1595 
 to 1606) he is reported not to have baptized a single heathen, 
 and it is not known whether after that time (for he re- 
 mained there a long time) he baptized any. His littleness 
 disappeared entirely amid the multitudes of heathen, and 
 produced no fruit because he made no impression. But 
 even at the present day the same happens as then occurred 
 in Madura. A weakling is sent alone to a distant post, and 
 then we wonder that we do not soon see fruits, and are sur- 
 prised if we do not receive every quarter, reports that so 
 many souls have been converted ! But he who sows 
 meagrely shall reap meagrely. Yes ! if only every Mis- 
 sionary were a man full of spirit and power ! But each 
 period of time produces only a few great men.* They are 
 not to be manufactured in Universities or Mission Colleges. 
 A number of second-rate or ordinary men, if combined, are 
 able to make an impression, and show some results, as little 
 lights, when there are enough of them, are able to light up 
 a large space. But when mediocrity is sent alone, it is like 
 a single rushlight in a large chamber. It can with diffi- 
 culty be seen, but it cannot enlighten. Pater Fernandez 
 was a rushlight burning in big Madura, and that is the 
 reason that Madura remained so dark, and nothing stirred. 
 
 Then there appeared in Madura a man who was certainly 
 no mediocrity. This was Robert de Nobili, a relation of 
 Cardinal Bellarrnin. Robert was richly provided with all 
 that which afterwards rendered the Jesuit order so hated 
 through ont Europe, and which was lashed by Pascal in so 
 masterly a manner, namely, a wanton mock ,of truth and 
 propriety, and the employment of the worst means to arrive 
 at the desired end. It was his misfortune that he was a 
 Jesuit, for true to the system in which he had been reared 
 he behaved exactly like a Jesuit. To the Hindoos he 
 wished to become a Hindoo. This was a great and a good 
 thought, but which by a Jesuit could only be carried out 
 Jesuitically. For to become to the Hindoos a Hindoo, is 
 
 * One of the favorite sayings of the great Austrian Minister, 
 Von Kamiitz, known as the ' Driver of the State Coach of Europe,' 
 was that * it took 50 years for a country to produce a great man.' 
 There is a great semblance of truth in this remark, and if a glance is 
 thrown back at the histories of most countries, it will be seen how 
 rarely great men are contemporaneous, and how frequently a period 
 of about 50 years elapses between them. 
 
 15 
 
easier said than done. To the Pariahs many a one has 
 become a Pariah, and now and then a weak attempt has 
 been made to become a Sudra to the Sudras. Robert was 
 the first one to try to become a Brahmin to the Brahmins, 
 and after him no one has made the attempt. When a 
 European first lands in the country, the first thing he does 
 is to surround himself with the unfortunately indispensable 
 evil of Pariah servants, which at once makes him as good 
 as unapproachable to Brahmins. In this way the higher 
 classes who, under any circumstances, are less accessible 
 than the lower ones, are pushed back from the very com- 
 mencement. 
 
 Should, however, the higher classes be won over, they 
 must be treated differently to savages. To the latter we 
 can offer something perfected and can educate them to it, 
 but the former, with a civilization of thousands of years, can 
 scarcely be approached with cut and dried outward forms 
 that have sprung up in foreign soil. They must be given 
 Christianity pure and simple, but not the outward forms of 
 the Church as they have been formed in Europe. It is 
 natural that the most unfitted for this work is the Church 
 of Rome with its dead formalisms. That Church only is 
 fitted for this work, which declares plainly that " It is suffi- 
 cient for the true unity of the Christian Church that the 
 Gospel is preached therein, according to its pure intent and 
 meaning, and that the Sacraments are administered in con- 
 formity with the word of God. And it is not necessary for 
 the unity of the Christian Church, that uniform ceremonies 
 instituted by men should be everywhere observed." Robert 
 de Nobili seems to have understood this great " It is suffi- 
 cient" of the Augustana, at all events, he saw the impracti- 
 cability of forcing upon a people artificial forms peculiar to 
 the habits and cultivation of a foreign race. He, therefore, 
 attempted to solve the difficult problem of offering to a 
 people of high civilization Christianity without the matured 
 forms of the Church which had developed on a foreign soil. 
 He wished to leave to the Tamulians their outward forms 
 of civilization, and only endeavoured to instil into them a 
 Christian life. This was a great undertaking such as only 
 a great man could undertake. De Nobili was as Romanist, 
 however, already unfitted to this work, and as Jesuit, he 
 could naturally only produce a caricature of Christianity, an 
 abortion of his own great ideas. 
 
115 
 
 He commenced, however, with all necessary caution. 
 After having thought out his plan he laid it before the Pro- 
 vincial of the Jesuits by whom it was sanctioned. Not con- 
 tented with this, he laid it before the Archbishop of Goa, 
 who also gave to it his sanction. Thereupon, he went to 
 Madura and commenced his work. It is not, therefore, just 
 to attribute to him the whole blame, to his whole order ; 
 yes, to his whole Church is due a large share. 
 
 Arrived in Madura, he kept himself entirely aloof from 
 Pater Fernandez and his Christians. He lived and clothed 
 himself like a Brahmin, and gave himself out to be a 
 Western Brahmin. His food consisted of the customary 
 vegetable fare of the Brahmins, of milk and of clarified 
 butter. No meat, or fish or even an egg crossed his lips. 
 Abstinence from such things is not only not a sin, but 
 when it is practised from love towards a people and has 
 as its object the salvation of their souls it becomes right 
 and good. But to attempt to prove by this abstinence 
 what is not true, is a sin. "And this is the sin that Robert 
 committed. His clothing consisted of a seamless piece 
 of cotton, wound round his loins and another of similar 
 quality thrown over his shoulders. Ordinary Brahmins wear 
 a very clean and perfectly white cloth, but such as have 
 renounced the pleasures of this life, the ascetics (Saniasi) 
 choose a pale yellow color, so that from afar off it may be 
 seen how holy they are. Robert de Nobili chose this pale 
 yellow color. Over his shoulder and breast he wore the 
 Brahmins' thread, the distinguishing mark of the twice born. 
 He, however, took three gold threads signifying the Trinity, 
 and two other silver ones in addition to signify the two 
 natures of Christ. At the end of the thread, hung a small 
 crucifix which, however, as the end of a Brahmin's thread 
 always is, was hidden in his waist-cloth. This was the 
 way the Western Brahmin lived and dressed. He was 
 surrounded only by Brahmins, he went silently every morn- 
 ing to his ablutions, for even in the land of the Tamulians, 
 silence constitutes a Philosopher, or causes him to be 
 thought one, otherwise, however, he shut himself up closely, 
 and studied with an iron will Tamil, Telugoo and Sanscrit. 
 
 It followed, of course, that in a short time the news of the 
 Western Brahmin caused some excitement. Many came 
 to see him, but only seldom was any one admitted. And 
 
11C 
 
 those who were fortunate enough to be presented to him 
 could not find words enough to express either the wonder- 
 ful knowledge or the kind condescension of the Western 
 Brahmin. His mysterious conduct only excited a greater 
 wish for his acquaintance, so that the King of Madura 
 wished to see him. De Nobili, however, remained unmoved 
 in his solitude and would not go to visit the King. This 
 contempt, for the favor of the mighty Prince was the 
 highest test of his sanctity who could any longer enter- 
 tain any doubts regarding it ? One day a young Guroo (a 
 Brahmin of the greatest influence and with many disciples) 
 came to see his Western colleague and saint, mounted on an 
 elephant and followed by a large retinue. He was wisely 
 admitted, and de Nobili allowed him such glances into the 
 depths of his philosophical and mathematical knowledge 
 that he came again and again, greedy to hear more. Soon 
 he, who himself had so many disciples, declared himself to 
 be a disciple of de Nobili. Now, de Nobili commenced 
 cautiously to enter into religious matters, and in these also 
 the Guroo was convinced, and at last baptized. Through 
 him there soon came other Brahmins for instruction and 
 baptism ; and some of the higher Sudras were also admitted 
 to the Font. De Nobili now cautiously commenced to put 
 forward the assertion that he was in possession of the 
 fourth Veda, the Esur Veda. This Esur Veda had been 
 compiled by de Nobili himself and was a very skilful 
 imitation of the old Vedas. Of course, he had introduced 
 Christian principles, and brought them into such connec- 
 tion, that by exposition, still more could be got out of them. 
 In this way he did not seem to have produced anything 
 new, but only something elucidating and leading to a 
 proper comprehension of the whole. This Esur Veda, 
 however, gave the Brahmins of Madura much trouble. The 
 learned men were by no means of one mind, and could not 
 bring themselves either to reject it unanimously, or to 
 receive it as genuine. They, therefore, had recourse to an 
 oath, and de Nobili was to state upon oath whether this 
 was in reality the Esur Veda or not. The poor Brahmins 
 did not yet know what a Jesuitical oath meant ! De Nobili, 
 however, did not hesitate to swear before a large assembly 
 that he had received this Esur Veda from Brahma. This 
 sounds almost incredible, but this wicked lie has even in 
 our days been called by a learned Cardinal (Wiseman), 
 " one of the many ways in which modern science has con- 
 
117 
 
 futed objections to Christianity." In this way the Jesuitical 
 system of doing evil that good may come, and telling lies 
 to spread of truth, darkens the understanding and blinds the 
 spirit. 
 
 This lie about the Esur Veda gave de Nobili a firm foot- 
 ing. His work now began to spread rapidly. He himself 
 commenced to go out, and even made journeys in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Madura. Everywhere where he came had his 
 fame preceded him ; he was the great sage, the wonderful 
 Brahmin of the West, the possessor and the explainer of the 
 Esur Veda. In this way he gained many adherents, always 
 from the higher castes, from the lower ones, he always kept 
 aloof. For two and forty years he Hved and worked in 
 Madura in this manner, and is said to have baptized some 
 100,000 Tamulians. Idolatry, such as the worship of the 
 popular idols, he rejected on the authority of theVedas, 
 but the ordinary processions, &c., he left untouched. Even 
 the towering cars of the gods were dragged about as before 
 by crowds of men, the only difference being that the sum- 
 mits were decorated with a statue of the Virgin or of some 
 Saint. In ordinary life, there was no difference to be seen 
 between the heathen and his followers. At the rising of 
 the sun, both hastened to the rivers or the tanks in order to 
 perform their sacred ablutions, both marked their foreheads 
 with sacred ashes and both remained in perfect friendship, 
 for the former opposition from the heathen had ceased. His 
 system commenced in deception, and strengthened by 
 perjury bid fair to be victorious. 
 
 But he had to contend against opposition, and that from 
 an entirely unexpected quarter. Almost contemptible seemed 
 the cloud that arose on his Missionary horizon, and yet it 
 was destined to overshadow his whole work even during 
 his lifetime. It was the resultless Pater Fernandez, who, 
 perhaps, not without envy, raised his voice against de Nobili 
 from the very commencement. He complained against him 
 to the elders in Goa, and from thence, from the place where 
 his plan of work had been sanctioned, he received an order 
 to relinquish all new methods, and to carry on the Mis- 
 sionary work according to old established custom. De Nobili 
 had, it is true, sworn unconditional obedience like allJesuits, 
 but had no idea of showing it. He knew how to get 
 support in Rome, and there it was decided that he should 
 
118 
 
 be allowed to go on in his own way until the matter had 
 been thoroughly examined. In this way he might have 
 been left in quiet for his friends had no intention of making 
 an enquiry. But his enemies had, and Franciscans, Domi- 
 nicans and members of other orders could not refrain from 
 giving Jesuitism, which rightly had been so hated from the 
 commencement a blow. Accordingly, after an enquiry that 
 lasted for thirteen years, and which was accompanied by 
 many disputes, matters came so far that the Pope gave a 
 decision, and a wonderful decision it was, for it was neces- 
 sary to prove both sides right. New converts might con- 
 tinue to bathe, decided the Pope, because that was conducive 
 to cleanliness. They might also continue to wear the hair 
 lock, because this was a mark of position and nobility. 
 They might continue to wear the Brahminical thread, but 
 it was not to be put on in heathen temples (which pro- 
 bably had never been done) but Romish Priests should invest 
 them with it, it should be sprinkled with holy water, an 
 appropriate prayer should be recited, and then it would be 
 all correct. And as regards the Siva ashes (ashes of cow- 
 dung) the Christians were not to use them any longer for 
 these were a veritable abomination ; but, they might con- 
 tinue to smear their foreheads with ashes, only they must 
 be ashes of sandalwood for that was an ornament, &c., &c. 
 With such a judgment did the Pope in Rome decide the 
 thirteen years' dispute between the Missionaries in Tamil 
 land. It can easily be understood that with this nothing 
 was settled, and that the quarrel soon broke out again, and 
 did not cease until it had ruined de Nobili's work, and had 
 driven the Jesuits from India. 
 
 In 1648, de Nobili retired from the Mission, for he was 
 feeble with age and almost blind. He left Madura, the 
 scene of so much self-sacrifice to a false system, and of so 
 great a lie withdrew to Mylapore, and there spent his last 
 years in quiet. As long as he remained in Madura, his 
 work seems to have kept tolerably well together, but five 
 years after his departure and while he was still living in 
 Mylapore it had entirely collapsed. In the neighbourhood 
 there were still a number of his followers left, but in Madura, 
 itself only about 200 souls remained, and this after 42 
 years' work with such self-denial and such great talents ! 
 
 Robert de Nobili like Frangois Xavier was a remarkable 
 man, and far above mediocrity. In the centuries that have 
 
119 
 
 passed since their time, the Romish Mission in India has 
 had no Missionary to compare with them. They were both 
 filled with glowing zeal for the Mission, they both willingly 
 endured every hardship, and staked their lives on their 
 work. Both had mighty results and both lived long enough 
 to despair of their work. The work of neither could stand 
 the fire test, for they built with the wood, straw and stubble 
 of human ideas and wisdom, and built too upon rotten 
 foundations. What might not such men have done, if they 
 had only been true disciples of Christ instead of the Pope 
 and of Loyola ! But as they themselves despaired of the 
 work which they had built upon quick-sand, they have 
 perhaps found the Kock where alone the soul can rest. 
 May they both have found this peace with their Lord ! 
 
 Besides the Jesuits, the Franciscans, the Dominicans, 
 the Augus tines, the Carmelites, the Oratorians, the Capucins, 
 arid many other orders all worked in South India ! and 
 as none of them showed any lack of inward jealousy 
 and outward quarrelling, they gave the Popes plenty of 
 trouble, and compelled them again and again to decide 
 what had already been decided by new decisions, and to 
 issue fresh mandates which were as little obeyed as the 
 previous ones had been. In this way, the old Portuguese 
 Mission, with so many resources and so many powers, was 
 inwardly tumbling to pieces and outwardly crippled. It 
 had peace only when in 1759 the Jesuits were driven out 
 of India, since they had been previously driven out of Por- 
 tugal. The Portuguese Mission, however, was never able to 
 gain any vital energy. 
 
 In the meantime, French Priests had settled in Pondi- 
 cherry, and soon turned it into a Goa of Tamil land. The 
 power which the Portuguese had displayed on the West 
 Coast, now began to be shown by the French on the Eastern 
 Coast, and their chief town was Pondicherry, situated 
 between Cuddalore and Madras. As they were so powerful, 
 the Pope raised Pondicherry to a Bishopric. This, however, 
 was in contravention of the rights of Portugal. Former 
 Popes had declared the Archbishop at Goa to be the Primate 
 of the Indian Church and with him the Crown of Portugal 
 enjoyed the right of nominating the Suffragan Bishops. 
 But as the power of the Portuguese had now passed away, 
 the Popes appointed as Bishops whomever they liked, and 
 
120 
 
 placed them where they wished, without troubling their 
 heads about the rights of the Portuguese Crown or of the 
 Primate at Goa. And this action gave rise to a dispute 
 regarding the privileges of the Pope and those of the King 
 of Portugal which lasted for a hundred years, and when the 
 Jesuit again came to India, new quarrels soon broke out. 
 They conducted themselves not only as the only orthodox 
 Priests, and declared the Priests at Goa and their Arch- 
 bishop to be Schismatics, but they also claimed as their 
 own all Church property, &c., together with the congrega- 
 tions, and were sometimes able by the use of stratagem or 
 force to get them into their possession. Then again, there 
 arose evil quarrels in Tamil land which came before the 
 English Law Courts. But it is not my intention to enter 
 into details of these, for during this period, there are no 
 Missionary results. The Portuguese always lost more 
 ground, for the more crafty Jesuits and Capucins succeeded 
 in shouldering them out of the way. 
 
 At present the Romish Church has four Bishops in the 
 Tamil country, and besides these there are the Portuguese 
 who are under the Archbishop of Goa, and who have a Vicar- 
 General at Mylapore near Madras. The Goa Priests are, for 
 the most part, of mixed race and many are very dark, almost 
 black. They are always losing more ground and their pos- 
 sessions are continually passing orer into the more powerful, 
 and more crafty hands of the new Bishops and Priests who 
 are partly Frenchmen, partly Irishmen. 
 
 From the Madras Catholic Directory of 1870, printed 
 " Permissu Superiorum" I extract the following infor- 
 mation : 
 
 The Diocese of Madras has 57 Priests and in Tamil land 
 (for it also extends into Telugoo land) 31,030 Christians, 
 including the Vicar-General at Mylapore and his flocks. 
 As regards the Missionary work of these 57 Priests, in the 
 year under report, they baptized altogether 167 heathen, big 
 and little. In addition they also baptized 16 Protestants. 
 These 16 Protestants are paraded in the report, as if for 
 show, and it is expressly remarked that they were re-bap- 
 tized. Regarding how many of their people went over to 
 the Protestants, the report says nothing. If, however, 
 31,000 Christians let alone 57 Priests, Professors, Teachers 
 
121 
 
 and Nuns were not able to make a greater impression upon 
 the heathen than that 167 souls should join then during 
 the year, it is clear that in spite of Episcopal pomp and Epis- 
 copal authority neither the inward light nor the outward 
 power can be very strong. And in previous years the 
 results were not larger. Throughout the last 29 years, the 
 whole of the Priests of the Diocese of Madras baptized only 
 4,612 heathens. I mention this especially because the results 
 of the Roman Mission are often referred to as if they were 
 important as compared with the Protestant Missions. From 
 their own Report of 1870, however, and from those of the 
 previous 29 years, the exact opposite is proved. And if it 
 is necessary to quote figures against figures, the Lutheran 
 Mission has, during the last 20 years with the numbers of 
 its Missionaries varying between six and sixteen, (with of 
 late years a few ordained natives) baptized more than 
 1,000 more heathens than the whole of the 57 Romish Priests 
 during 29 years. The number of heathens baptized by the 
 Lutheran Mission in the last 20 years amounts to 5,721 souls. 
 
 The Diocese of Pondicherry, including the Christians 
 belonging to Goa, numbers 1,29,844 souls, to whom, however, 
 the French and half-caste population of Pondicherry must 
 be reckoned. In this Diocese are 118 Churches and 82 
 Chapels ; it has two Seminaries for Priests, several Convents, 
 &c., and 77 Priests, and yet all these together, in spite 
 of the considerable interest which the French Government 
 at Pondicherry always shows for Christianity, were able to 
 baptize only 632 heathens and 88 Protestants. Of the 
 many Nuns which Pondicherry possesses, there are four and 
 a Novice at Tranquebar. And these four Nuns and Novice 
 teach two Boarders, two Orphans, and thirty Day-Scholars. 
 The Boarders would seem to be the Orphans, but under any 
 circumstances the work is not surprising. 
 
 The Bishopric of Coirnbatore has 20 Priests and some 
 18,000 Catholics. These 20 Priests having, during the last 
 five years, baptized only 398 heathens. 
 
 The Jesuits, on the other hand, are much stronger in the 
 Diocese of Madura. There they have again 1,69,500 Chris- 
 tians with 163 Churches and 469 Chapels, with 68 Priests 
 in the field. In the year under report, these 68 Priests 
 baptized only 463 heathens and Protestants. They display, 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 however, a far greater activity in their own (the Jesuitical) 
 department. They baptize little children of heathen parents 
 when they are in extremis, and without the consent or the 
 knowledge of the parents. When the child of Tamulians 
 has fallen sick and they know not what to do, they are 
 willing that anything should be done if only the child can be 
 saved. And they are especially fond of having a mantram 
 or prayer formula, repeated over it, no matter by whom, or 
 to whom addressed. In this way the Romish Priests are 
 called in, and on such occasions they do, as one of them 
 himself reports. They rub a little Eau-de-cologne on the 
 head of the child, and the parents think that to be medicine. 
 Unperceived they then change the bottle, and pour a few 
 drops of pure water on the child's head, and at the same 
 time pronounce the Latin baptismal formula, instead of a 
 mantram, and the child has been baptized without anybody 
 knowing anything about it. This is not done occasionally, 
 as an exceptional case by some feeble and eccentric Priest; 
 no; it is their regular and one of their principal practices 
 amongst the heathens. In the year under report, there were 
 no fewer than 2,986 of such secret baptisms of children. 
 And this is printed ' Permissu Superiorum /' 
 
 Such is the condition of the Roman Mission in the Tamil 
 country, and when we remember that it has behind it the 
 labors of 350 years, powerfully backed up by the poli- 
 tical influence of Portugal and of France, and with so many 
 resources of Priests, Monks and Nuns, we can scarcely call 
 the results great. At all events, when compared to it, the 
 Protestant Missions with their much fewer years of work, 
 have no cause to be ashamed. The work done by the 222 
 Roman Priests in the Tamil country is scarcely sufficient to 
 make good the losses caused by death, emigration, and those 
 who have joined the different Protestant Missions. It can, 
 therefore, be understood that the despair of Francois Xavier 
 is to be found amongst the Romish Priests of the present 
 day. They perform their duties, and make use of their 
 customary serpent-like cunning, but otherwise they work 
 without hope. And their results during the last 29 years 
 (for the Catholic Directory glances so far back) are by no 
 means encouraging. Could it be accurately examined, it 
 would probably be discovered that during the last 30 years 
 the Roman Christians in the Tamil country have rather 
 fallen off than increased in numbers. 
 
12S 
 
 It has often been said in reproach of these Roman Chris- 
 tians that they are as bad or even worse than heathens. 
 Sweeping assertions like this, made sometimes from super- 
 ficial observation, and sometimes from prejudice are worth 
 nothing. On the whole too it is not correct. I have fre- 
 quently had to do with them, and it has occasionally hap- 
 pened, that during one year, I have instructed and received 
 into our Church as many as the 77 Priests of the Pondicherry 
 Diocese boast that they have re-baptized from out of the 
 Protestants. Naturally I had to instruct them just as if 
 they were heathens, for the most of them were very ignor- 
 ant. As a matter of fact, they have almost always given 
 me less pleasure than heathen converts. They generally 
 settled in villages, which I could seldom visit, and by no 
 means easily accustomed themselves to good order ; for as 
 they had been accustomed to go to their distant Church 
 only once in a year or years, it was difficult to get them to 
 come to Service every Sunday to which, however, the 
 heathen converts allow themselves to be much more easily 
 persuaded. And besides, they had many heathen customs, 
 which it was very difficult to make them shake off. It is 
 almost incredible how much the Priests favor their super- 
 stitions at their festivals, especially at that of the Virgin ; 
 they openly try to excel the heathens in the matter of lamps, 
 lights, shooting and carrying of images. The miracle- 
 working pictures, of course, play an important part in such 
 festivals. Not far from Virdachellum, there is a little 
 Church in the jungle where no Christians live. A Priest 
 lives there, a dark one, one of the Portuguese. The Church 
 contains a Mada (^ mother), an image of the Virgin which 
 is a great favorite with the heathen. When the child of 
 one of the neighbouring heathens is sick, or one of their 
 cattle, or they themselves get into trouble, they vow some 
 thing to the Mada if she will help them. And for this 
 purpose there exists a Church and a Priest. When asked 
 how he could live there alone, since there were no Chris- 
 tians and the heathens would not hear of being converted, 
 the Priest replied with a shrug of shoulders, " The Church 
 has its income here ; the Church has its income." 
 
 The Roman Christians are almost without exception from 
 the old Portuguese time. I have only very seldom met 
 new converts from out of the heathen, and with them the- 
 case stood as follows : the Priests had protected the people 
 and paid their debts and had thus become their creditors. 
 
124 
 
 This debt was, of course, not demanded, but a bond had been 
 executed for it which bound them to the Priest. Were we 
 to do the same, a considerable number of converts would 
 join us ; but we have not the means nor the will to employ 
 such means as these. The only good and honest means by 
 which to bring the heathens to Christ, (not to bind them to 
 Priest) is to preach to them the Gospel of the cross without 
 disguising from them that they too, if they declare for 
 Christ, will have to suffer cross and sorrow. For in India, 
 also by the Hindoos, must the cross be borne after Christ 
 whether it be in one way or another even by the most 
 humble that turn to Him. But the effect of bearing the 
 cross is not grief and woe, but praise and thanks from those 
 who well accustom themselves to it. May the Romish 
 Priests and Christians not rest content with placing the 
 cross in every corner of their Churches only, and making 
 the sign of it on their breasts and foreheads. The cross 
 must come nearer home to us, and must strike deeper in us 
 than that, if it is to carry out its redeeming work. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE LUTHERAN MISSION. 
 
 " Behold I am with you every day until the end of the 
 world" 
 
 In the preceding pages we have glanced at the Primitive 
 and the .Romish Church Missions in the land of the Tamu- 
 lians, and now in chronological order we arrive at the 
 Lutheran Mission. The words quoted at the head of this 
 chapter form the proper motto for this Mission, for it no 
 longer has a country which it can call its own or Princes to 
 protect it. But it has the Lord, and with Him it has enough. 
 For He, the Lord Jesus Christ, has never been separated 
 from his servants in the Mission, but has always been their 
 Trust, their Blessing, Salvation and Peace yes : 
 
 With Mother's hands He guides His own 
 Nor leaves them helpless or alone 
 Give to our God the honor. 
 
 We must needs linger somewhat longer with this Mission, 
 and must visit together some of the different stations, and 
 see how gradually they have from time to time sprung up 
 
125 
 
 here and there. To start with, we have to do with the 
 Lutheran Missions in the country which formerly belonged 
 to the Danes, Tranquebar and Poriar. 
 
 Tranquebar belongs to the former kingdom and present 
 district of Tanjore, and is situated on the Bay of Bengal in 
 a fruitful but not beautiful plain. The power of the Por- 
 tuguese had lasted in South India for over 100 years, and 
 had been continually growing more obnoxious. And this 
 was particularly the case when that sinister tyrant of Spain, 
 Philip II, became also King of Portugal. His favorite In- 
 stitution, the Inquisition was now planted in India and 
 succeeded so well in Goa that afterwards the whole of its 
 Institutions were burnt. Enough is already known of its 
 inhuman mode of conduct and need not be related here ; 
 when Portugal's power began to decline, the Dutch came 
 upon the scene and began to snatch from them their pos- 
 sessions one by one. And they were not much more tender- 
 handed in dealing with the Portuguese than these had pre- 
 viously been with the Mahomedans. In the same way as 
 the Dutch pushed the Portuguese aside, there also arrived 
 other nations; the Danes, the French and the English. 
 Some might call it an accident that the Danes ever came to 
 the Tamil country, but we Christians know that our God 
 rules the world, arid that even an Augustus had to set the 
 whole of Palestine in motion in order that one poor family 
 might be induced to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem 
 at the appointed time. In the same way the Danes had to 
 come to Tranquebar, in order that the poor Tamulians might 
 have the pure Gospel preached to them. For without that, 
 unless Tranquebar had become the property of a Lutheran 
 Prince there would at that time have been no Lutheran 
 Mission station, and, therefore, a Danish Ship Captain, 
 Roelant Crape had to get his ship wrecked on these shores, 
 and to save himself on land. His people escaped also, but 
 they seem to have been a wild lot, for they were all mur- 
 dered. Roelant Crape, however, sought an audience with 
 the King of Tanjore, and succeeded in obtaining it. The 
 King received the shipwrecked man in a friendly manner 
 and allowed himself to be talked over and made the Danes 
 a present of Tranquebar, so that they might trade with 
 his kingdom. Thus, it was that in the year 1620, Tran- 
 quebar became Danish, and they built a Fort there and for- 
 tified the town. 
 
126 
 
 The Danes traded with the Tamulians, but did not bring 
 them the Pearl without price. And 100 years passed before 
 they came so far. The Portuguese did things differently 
 for as we have seen they at once brought out eight Clergymen 
 and eight Monks and sent always others to follow ; King 
 John III, acting always like a father towards his brown 
 subjects. But in the year 1704, when a German, Dr. Lutkens, 
 became the King's Court-preacher, Frederic IV, expressed 
 a wish to send out preachers of the Gospel to his unknown 
 subjects in India. Denmark, however, had merchants and 
 sailors in plenty who were quite ready to go to India; but 
 messengers of faith she had none. Lutkens, therefore, turned 
 towards Germany, and soon found two young men " who 
 feared the Lord and were of a mind to go to the heathen." 
 Their names are known as Ziegenbalg and Pliitschau. 
 
 The lives of these, our first Missionaries, have been so 
 often described that I shall presume them to be known to 
 my readers. I will, therefore, in glancing over the history 
 of the Tranquebar Mission allude only to a few salient 
 points. 
 
 The two German youths arrived in Copenhagen, and were 
 kindly received by Dr. Liitkens and by the King. They 
 were then ordained by Bishop Bornemann and appointed 
 as Royal Missionaries, otherwise, however, they did not 
 meet with much encouragement in Denmark, and on all sides 
 they were told " to dwell in the land and maintain them- 
 selves honestly." The good Danes did not consider that if 
 the first Apostles and subsequent messengers of the Gospel 
 had remained in their country, they themselves might have 
 remained the poor fishermen and wild robbers they origi- 
 nally were. The two young men, however, did not suffer 
 themselves to be led astray, but went forth in the name of 
 God and at the command of the King towards the distant 
 and unknown heathen. 
 
 The King had meant well, but had not considered that 
 though Tranquebar was a royal possession, the government 
 of it was in the hands of a hard-hearted trading Company, 
 in whose pay and under whose orders were the Commandant 
 and Council of the town. These did not wish any of their 
 privileges to be interfered with, and did not care to have 
 independent lookers-on and tale-bearers among them. Mis- 
 sionary work, therefore, met with difficulties at the very 
 
127 
 
 outset, which had scarcely been expected. When the 
 Missionaries landed, nobody troubled their heads about them, 
 and they had to remain almost the whole day in the open 
 air, for hotels had as yet not been invented in India. This 
 was a bad beginning, and if the Lord had not been with 
 them, they might well have thought of turning back. But 
 they remained and full of faith commenced their work of 
 love. 
 
 This, however, was no easy matter, and if they applied 
 for help to the Council or the Commandant, they met with 
 nothing but cold faces, and secret and open opposition. 
 The Commandant had received orders from the Company, 
 his immediate superiors to suffer the Missionaries, but by no 
 means to further their work, and when the Missionaries, 
 ignorant of these secret orders, appealed to the letter " of 
 our most gracious King Fredericus Quartus" they only 
 poured oil upon the fire. The Commandant and Council, in 
 reply advised them " to be more cautious in making use of 
 the exalted name of His Majesty, and to conduct themselves 
 with courtesy towards those in authority, lest it might be 
 necessary to have recourse to other means ; which, perhaps, 
 they would not like." Nor were there " other means" 
 wanting, for Ziegenbalg was imprisoned in the fort for 
 several months. 
 
 From the commencement the Kingdom of God has always 
 followed the royal road, that is to say, the road of its 
 King. But this King went about in the guise of a servant, 
 and spiritual eyes were required to recognize him as a 
 King. But as sensual men have not the Spirit (Jude 19) 
 they also have no spiritual eyes. Therefore they despised 
 the King, mocked and persecuted Him, robbed Him of His 
 clothes, and crowned Him with thorns, nailed Him to a 
 cross and gave Him vinegar to drink. His Kingdom is, 
 therefore, like himself despised, mocked and persecuted 
 by the sensual children of this World even to this day, 
 and this must continue so ; or else how could the King's 
 subjects be made to imitate Him ? The Lutheran Mission, 
 commenced to carry its cross from the very first days when 
 the first two Missionaries landed at Tranquebar. 
 
 After eight years faithful work in Tranquebar, Ziegen- 
 balg travelled back to Denmark and Germany, for he had 
 at length discovered that the secret and open opposition to 
 
128 
 
 his work originated not with the Commandant at Tran- 
 quebar, but with the hard-hearted trading Company in 
 Denmark, and so he went there in order to cut the evil at 
 the root. In 1709, the Missionary Grand ler, had been sent 
 to his assistance. Plutschau had already been sent to 
 Denmark, but at the time he was not properly aware of the 
 root of the evil, and with all his love and faith, Pliitschau 
 had not the power or the talents of Ziegenbalg. In Europe, 
 Ziegenbalg was everywhere received with the greatest 
 joy. Money was collected in Germany for the Church that 
 was wanted and for the spread of his work, and was sent to 
 Denmark for transmission, and in Denmark itself all ob- 
 stacles seemed to disappear. The King appointed him Dean, 
 and sent him out afresh and everything seemed to be in the 
 best order. Arrived again in Tranquebar, Ziegenbalg com- 
 menced with renewed vigour. He built the large Church, 
 called New Jerusalem, which is still our Mission Church in 
 Tranquebar. It is in the form of a Greek Cross and is large and 
 roomy. Above the Altar, there is a large tablet upon which 
 are inscribed suitable Bible texts in the Portuguese, Tamil 
 and German languages, on both sides of this tablet are orna- 
 mental copper plates with Latin inscriptions. The plates 
 and inscriptions were placed here by the Rev. Ben. Schulze 
 in memory of Ziegenbalg and Griindler who lie buried 
 beneath them. Before Ziegenbalg set out for Europe, he 
 had already -built a small Church not far from the Sea shore, 
 which he had called Jerusalem, hence the name New Jeru- 
 salem for the large one. For some time native Christians 
 were buried round this Church, and here also lies our first 
 native preacher Aaron. But Church and Grave-yard have 
 long since been devoured by the sea which, as at the Seven 
 Pagodas is also constantly encroaching at Tranquebar. 
 Eighteen years ago I saw the ruins of the Church-yard wall 
 washed by the waves, but these have now entirely disap- 
 peared. But the sea too will restore its dead, when the 
 Lord comes. 
 
 For about a year longer, Ziegenbalg worked with his old 
 power and zeal, but then this man otherwise so fiery and 
 seeking to overcome all obstacles, became suddenly quiet 
 and reserved, for his spirit was broken. How this happened 
 is a story of wheels within wheels, and is as follows : 
 
 In 1709, a certain Bb'ringh was sent to Tranquebar to- 
 gether w ith Missionary Griindler. This man was, however, 
 
129 
 
 of quite a different school and of quite different views. He 
 had been sent out to teach, and, therefore, thought that he had 
 nothing more to learn. He had sharp eyes for all evils and 
 abuses in the Mission, was not afraid to mention them 
 openly, and ascribed to himself the power and gifts of a 
 Reformer. In short, he had all the virtues and faults of 
 many a young Missionary of the present day. 
 
 This love of reforming, before a Missionary has done 
 anything, or before even he is able to preach an intel- 
 ligible Sermon, has been the cause of many an evil, and 
 in almost every Protestant Mission. And so common is 
 this evil that the Church Missionary Society, the most 
 respectable of all English Mission Societies, again and again 
 impresses upon their new Missionaries the necessity of 
 paying their elder colleagues every respect and conforming 
 with their decisions, until after some years of faithful and 
 diligent work, and after a thorough knowledge, not only of 
 the language, but also of their peculiar customs of the 
 people, they may be fitted to form opinions of their own. 
 For the language is nothing more than a key to the under- 
 standing of the people, and it is possible to understand the 
 language, and yet to be as strange to the people as the man 
 in the moon. Bovingh was, as it were, a forerunner of the 
 harvest to follow : he would learn nothing, but be master of 
 all things. And so it did riot last long before he himself 
 found out that he was fitted for anything but for a Mis- 
 sionary. Two years afterwards he left the Mission, and in 
 order to justify himself made a great clamour against it. 
 Whilst Ziegenbalg was in Denmark, this evil spirit was 
 never able to show itself above ground, but after he got 
 back to Tranquebar it stalked abroad, so that the gentlemen 
 in Denmark quite lost their senses. For they not only 
 almost ceased to support the Mission in Tranquebar, but 
 they also kept back the money which Ziegenbalg had col- 
 lected in Germany. Not content with this, they sent out 
 many long letters in which they npset the hitherto-practice 
 of the Mission, and showed to the Missionaries a new method, 
 which one cannot help wishing, they had themselves 
 adopted, even were it only for one week. 
 
 There are two ways to carry on a Mission : the one is 
 the Paulinian, and the other the Ottoman. The Paulinian 
 is, of course, the one to be preferred. It begins with praying 
 and fasting (Acts XIII, 3.) ' They prayed and fasted and 
 
 17 
 
130 
 
 laid their hands upon them and sent them away/ There 
 is nothing of box and baggage packing in this method. 
 But little money too is needed, though still something, as is 
 written (Philip. IV, 16.) " For even in Thessalonica ye sent 
 once and again unto my necessity." Money is as much a 
 gift of God, as the bread which it buys. The one as well 
 as the other is gained by human toil and human skill, 
 neither the one nor the other springs ready-made out of tho 
 ground. Not many preliminaries, therefore, are required 
 for this Paulinian or Apostolical Mission. But two things 
 are absolutely necessary, viz., Apostles and Apostolical 
 conditions. Where one has no Apostles to send, and where 
 the conditions and circumstances are quite different, we can, 
 it is true, learn of the Apostolical Mission, but must relin- 
 quish the attempt to re-produce it. There is no good in one 
 lame man calling out to another, " Don't limp !" It is better 
 that dwarfs should do what work they can, than that they 
 should tear out their hair, because they cannot do Giant's 
 work, and in the meantime do nothing at all. 
 
 The other method is the Ottoman : Otto was a pious 
 Bishop of Bamberg, where his staff, &c., are shown to this 
 day. When the heathen Pommeranians drove out of their 
 country the poor Monks who had come to preach to them, 
 and called after them : " Yours must be a poor god that 
 can send no better messengers than you are," Otto started 
 forth in person. No doubt, he prayed and, perhaps, fasted 
 also ; but the most remarkable part of the commencement 
 of his Mission is the packing of boxes and baggage. The 
 noise of nailing them down could be heard at a distance. 
 From a far people could see how they were packed, and 
 nine (9) waggons were filled with them. Otto wanted to prove 
 to the savage Pommeranians that the God of the Christians 
 had other messengers than poor Monks. So Otto started 
 on his road with many waggons full of boxes packed with 
 gifts for the poor. At the same time he took with him to 
 their nobles a letter of reconciliation from their liege Lord, 
 the Duke of Poland, and added to this, his heart was full of 
 love and his lips overflowing with the grace of God through 
 Christ towards everybody. In this way what was impos- 
 sible to the poor Monks without any Apostolical power, 
 became possible to Otto. He baptized 7,000 heathens at 
 Kamin, and induced the proud Stettiners to change their 
 heathen temples into Christian Churches. 
 
131 
 
 Ziegenbalg had his choice between these two methods, for 
 the royal instruction only forbad him to take anything from 
 the heathen, but did not forbid him to give them anything. 
 For an Apostolical Mission, a country, circumstances, and 
 last, but not least, the power, were all wanting. For an 
 Ottoman Mission, on the other hand, everything was pecu- 
 liarly adapted ; for there were quantities of poor starving 
 heathens. And, not unnaturally, his love displayed itself 
 more readily towards these than towards the rich and the 
 well-fed. He protected the poor, taught them with great 
 patience and diligence, fed and clothed them during their 
 time of instruction, and when they were baptized, endea- 
 voured to help them to a respectable livelihood. Their 
 children he received entirely into his house, taught and 
 maintained them, and so tried to make them useful men 
 and pious Christians. For all this, of course, he required 
 money, his own he did not spare, and besides, found pious 
 Christians who were glad to give him a share of theirs. In 
 this way, he built Schools and Churches, erected a Printing 
 Press which had been sent to him from England and 
 even built a Paper-mil], partly in order to get cheaper paper, 
 but partly also to provide his poor Christians with labor 
 and an honest employment. And no one who saw his 
 restless unselfish activity could help being surprised. Many 
 a widow and orphan did more, they blessed him and praised 
 God who had sent him. But what did the Danish Mission 
 Directors do ? With contemptuous letters they robbed 
 him of all courage. Want of courage, however, is in India 
 a fatal disease, and there are many who have fallen victims 
 to it, and amongst these must be reckoned Ziegenbalg and 
 Griindler. 
 
 . 
 
 Five weeks before his death, Ziegenbalg gave over charge 
 of the Mission to Griindler, and then wrote to Denmark : 
 " The cause of my sickness is mental ; for during the last 
 year and a half, my post has caused my heart many a 
 struggle, sorrow and pain, and has given me many a restless 
 night. These have been always increased by the many 
 events which occur during such work. Some letters also 
 which we received in 1717 and 1718 from Europe, have 
 aided not a little to break down my spirit to such a degree, 
 that I can no longer transact the duties of my post with 
 my former pleasure. And as at the same time I have 
 remarked, that since my return from Denmark, the work 
 
132 
 
 has been much less supported than before, this has caused 
 me much grief, for I had hoped for far better results from 
 my wearisome voyage there and back, than I have as yet 
 seen. These mental trials and sorrows have had such a 
 strong influence on the motus vitales and on all portions of 
 the body that for eighteen months I have had severe bodily 
 suffering. I accept such trials with submission, and have 
 a trust in God that He will in some way give help, so that 
 I may again be in a condition to be useful to the work. 
 May His holy will be done !" This holy will of God was 
 done, and on the 23rd February God released him from all 
 trouble. Amid many tears, Grundler prepared his bed in 
 the quiet vault in front of the altar, and 13 months after- 
 wards laid himself by his side. 
 
 Ziegenbalg had landed in Tranquebar in July 1706. He 
 went home in October 1714 ; returned in August 1716, and 
 died in February 1719, so that altogether he only spent 
 lOf years in this country. But it is wonderful how much 
 he had done during that time. It is not, however, the 
 number of converts that is so remarkable, for at his death, 
 there appear in the Tamil Church Registers only 226 names, 
 and in the Portuguese books about an equal number. But 
 Ziegenbalg exercised a remarkable influence over heathens 
 living in distant parts, which he maintained by friendly 
 correspondence ; learning from them of their religion and 
 customs, and telling them in return of Him who alone i 
 the Way, the Truth and the Life. Ziegenbalg dived deeper 
 into a knowledge of the religion of the Tamulians, and 
 ventured further into their jungles of divinities than most 
 Missionaries up to the present day. His little book on the 
 Malabar gods, though published for the first time, 150 years 
 after his death, has been judged worthy of a translation into 
 English and has been printed in Madras. 
 
 Ziegenbalg did his work thoroughly, zealously and by 
 the employment of all his powers. May the Lord send 
 many a successor in his work among the Tamulians whose 
 life may equal his, and whose end may be as his was ! 
 
 Grundler was now left alone, and all the burden of the 
 work, and the responsibility fell upon his shoulders. Added 
 to this, there arrived the worst of all the Copenhagan 
 despatches, so that Grundler broke down, and for two months 
 lay ill. The Danish Directors had allowed themselves to 
 
133 
 
 be led by their Secretary, the Candidate Wendt, into quite a 
 new groove. They had conceived the idea of an Apos- 
 tolical Mission, and had embraced it with pietistic one- 
 sidedness. The instructions which our Lord gave to His 
 disciples (Matt. 10) were now applied without limitation 
 to the Missionaries in the Tamil country. Messieurs, the 
 Directors, however, did not seern to remember that with 
 these instructions our Lord sent His disciples to their own 
 countrymen in Judea, arid actually forbad them to go to 
 the heathens or even to the neighbouring Samarians. So, 
 they despatched one of the cruelest letters that probably 
 any Missionary Society of any country has ever penned. 
 I will only quote a few sentences as an example, and also 
 to show the tenor of the former letters which had so crushed 
 Ziegenbalg : 
 
 "The Lord sent forth His disciples empty handed; He even 
 forbad them to carry in their girdles, gold, silver or precious 
 stones ; He told them to carry no scrip, nor shoes, nor staff, 
 nor to have two coats. Test yourselves by this model. 
 Think for a moment of what little weight the trifles of this 
 world must be in comparison with one soul, and reflect 
 what, at the day of revelation, the judgment of a righteous 
 God will be between them. Bearing in mind this day, and 
 having regard to the souls of the heathen, we had far rather 
 that your bodily state were like the description given by 
 Paul to the Corinthians I, IV, 11-13 ; miserable and shame- 
 ful, poor and insignificant Yes, we have a faith in the 
 tender love of our God and our Saviour Jesus, that He will 
 some day make it so (that is to say, that the Missionaries 
 in Tranquebar should suffer hunger and thirst, should be 
 naked and beaten, should be reviled, persecuted and defamed, 
 that they should be made as the filth of the world and the 
 offscouring of all things ! I scarcely think that the Mission 
 Directors at Antioch who despatched Paul wished him to 
 suffer all this !) " Yes, we wish," continues this letter, " rather 
 that no single Thaler had ever been sent to India, than 
 that the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven should have 
 been closed by earthly things. It is worthy of remark (and 
 is no doubt of great convenience to you) that you already 
 have houses where you can regularly meet. But should 
 this or that building hinder you from going among the 
 heathens, or deprive you of time or opportunity of preaching 
 the Gospel, we would wish that not one stone remained 
 
134 
 
 upon the other, but rather that living stones should be 
 hewn for a spiritual edifice, until at last, each flock should 
 establish such conveniences or learn to do without them. 
 We would wish that even in Tranquebar you should hold no 
 Sunday or Feast-day preachings, and no morning or evening 
 Services, provided only that the heathens could hear the 
 sound of the Gospel" " (so that, supposing the Christians 
 might wish to hear the sound of the Gospel they would 
 have to run to the heathen, to hear it there !)" " Amongst the 
 bodily, outward and wordly conditions of the Mission must 
 also be reckoned the Schools and the Seminary. You may 
 say, that without these, the whole Mission at which for 
 twelve years we have worked with so much diligence 
 would fall away ; but we would answer and repeat, Let 
 perish, fall away and be destroyed everything that detracts 
 from the principal work of going among the heathen and 
 preaching the Gospel by mouth ; for such institutions as 
 these are only of good if they promote and help these 
 objects." So far the Fathers in Denmark, and it is only 
 to be regretted that they did not conceive the idea of 
 sending out the author of this epistle, the Candidate 
 Wendt, without gold, silver or precious stones in his girdle, 
 without shoes or staff, and the wish that his state might be 
 soon miserable and contemptible might soon have been 
 realized. 
 
 Grundler read this letter amid many tears and showed 
 it to his friends. The Commandant, a Herr von Nissen, 
 was so indignant at it, that he exclaimed : " then Mission- 
 aries should be like soldiers who carry everything upon 
 their backs ! But before the gentlemen of the Mission 
 Directory demand this from you they should first of all 
 set you a good example, for they live in big houses, well 
 furnished from top to bottom." 
 
 The first answer which the Directors in Den mars' 
 received to their cruel letter was the news of Ziegenbalg's 
 death. Such an answer they had scarcely expected, and 
 they mourned sincerely for him. But soon afterwards came 
 other fruit of their writing : Grundler's death. First of all, 
 however, Grundler went through their last letter point by 
 point, and answered it with such patience, and in so noble- 
 minded a manner that we cannot restrain our admiration. 
 From this letter I will quote a few sentences : 
 
 " The gentlemen of the direction of the Mission quote to 
 
135 
 
 us the two Missions, Matthew 10 and Luke 10, in order 
 that by them we may carefully examine ourselves. Now 
 I will point out some differences in our position. Our 
 Mission goes to the heathen, who as yet know nothing of 
 the Messiah but only of many idols ; not to brethren 
 of the same race, but to an entirely strange people. The 
 former could enter the houses of their own people, but we, 
 among the heathen, may not enter a Malabar house, but 
 must find out rest-houses of our own, where, however, we 
 must ourselves provide everything. Apostles and Jews 
 ate together and, therefore, Christ says : " When ye enter 
 into a house say first, peace be to this house ! and in the 
 same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they 
 give." The Malabars, however, will not suffer us to eat 
 with them or even to touch their food and cooking-utensils. 
 Therefore, when we Missionaries go forth with our Cate- 
 chists, we must ourselves carry our brass pot, our rice, 
 and our brass pan in which we cook a few vegetables. 
 The Apostles were not allowed to take with them gold or 
 silver or precious stones, no scrip, nor two coats, nor shoes, 
 nor any staves. The reason is placed by Saint Matthew iii 
 Christ's mouth, " For the workman is worthy of his meat," 
 and by St Luke, " For the workman is worthy of his hire." 
 We Missionaries, however, when we go into these coun- 
 tries must necessarily take for our subsistence, gold and 
 silver and brass, or I will say : Pagodas, fanams and cash, 
 for these heathens do not as yet understand the saying, 
 " The labourer is worthy of his hire." Besides, we must 
 get our Catechist, who accompanies us, to appoint a Philip, 
 as a dispenser, who must buy for us in the villages, and pre- 
 pare for us some rice and some fishes or instead of the 
 fishes some vegetables. Purses here are not wanted to 
 carry the money, but a piece of linen in which to tie it. 
 Scrip and bags are not necessary, for we carry no refresh- 
 ments with us ; in this warm land we find one coat to be 
 quite sufficient and, therefore, do not require two. Shoes 
 and staves are, however, necessary ; shoes at one time on 
 account of the burning sand and at another on account of 
 the hard soil. Staves are required partly to enable us to 
 get over the swamps and the water, and partly on account 
 of the snakes which abound here. I only mention such 
 differences, in order that it may be known in what respects 
 we can be exact imitators of the Apostles when we go out 
 among the heathens, and in what respects we cannot on 
 
136 
 
 account of the country and the people. For I maintain 
 that both of those Missions which were intended especially 
 for the Jews, and to which the distinct injunction was 
 given : " go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any 
 city of the Samaritans enter ye not," " cannot in all respects 
 be held to apply to all Missions." 
 
 " If, however high, well born Sirs, you think that a 
 heathen obtains more worldly benefits with the Mission 
 than in his own household, and might, therefore, be induced 
 to embrace our religion; your opinion is not a correct one. 
 When in our congregations the mothers bring forth children, 
 most of them have not enough to cover their child with a 
 piece of white cloth and bring it to be christened. For 
 which reason the Mission-chest gives them two ells of cloth 
 in which to wrap their child. When members of our con- 
 gregation die, the most of them have not sufficient wherewith 
 to buy a cloth to carry them to the grave. I have now been 
 here for 10 years, and during these ten years, I do not 
 know of more than six persons who have been buried in 
 coffins, and among those six was the late Senior of the 
 Mission and his little son. The others are all buried in 
 linen cloths. Yes, out of twenty who may die there will 
 scarcely be one who has enough to buy a piece of linen to 
 be buried in. So much for their worldly benefits ! The 
 Apostolical congregations had houses and fields which they 
 could sell, and then laid the money at the Apostles' feet, 
 with which they were able to make such good provisions 
 for the Missions, that seven almsgivers alone had to be 
 placed in charge of them. In our congregations, however, 
 there is very great poverty." 
 
 " From this it may be seen to how great an extent those 
 who join our Mission are benefited in their worldly affairs. 
 As far as 1 myself am individually concerned, I could live 
 in Europe with better health and at far less cost. But I 
 know that I am not in the world for things earthly and 
 temporal ; and I care not whether in it I am prosperous or 
 miserable. Heavenly things are my aim ; for these I strive 
 and press forward. As long as the Mission is God's work, 
 God will provide for this poor Mission. In this respect our 
 faith induces us to cast all our care upon the Lord ; He 
 will make all things well." 
 
 " To keep closer, however, to the matter of Mission expenses, 
 the example of the King of Spain, Philip II, may, perhaps, 
 
137 
 
 be remembered. When his ministers advised him not to 
 incur any more expense in a Missionary work, on the 
 Phillipian Islands, which had already cost him several 
 millions, and had not been of much good, the King asked 
 if his Missionaries had been totally unsuccessful in preach- 
 ing to the heathens, and whether they were not able to win 
 over to Christianity at least one soul during the year. The 
 Ministers were obliged to answer, yes ! The King, there- 
 upon, replied : " then all this money has been well spent." 
 
 " The writer of this letter wishes that we should be like 
 the description of Paul, I Cor., IV, 11 13. At that time no 
 Christian heart would have wished Paul to undergo such 
 sufferings, but, on the contrary, they showed the greatest 
 compassion ; lovingly they gave food and drink to the 
 hungry and thirsty Apostles ; they clothed the naked and 
 bound up the wounds of those who had been beaten. For, 
 these sufferings were to a certain extent an obstacle to 
 their going amongst the heathens, rather than as far as 
 bodily matters were concerned, their movements were 
 facilitated by them. For, if they were beaten, they had to 
 remain in quiet until their wounds were healed. That 
 such sufferings are among the unmistakeable marks of 
 Christ, which true Missionaries must also bear, is true 
 enough, and they form a portion of the imitation of Christ. 
 The Missionaries in Tranquebar, however, have not been 
 without their share of such marks. But as you have the 
 faith in the gracious love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ that He will make, us Missionaries, poor and miser- 
 able, may the gracious God in Christ Jesu in return 
 pour over you and us His spiritual as well as temporal 
 blessings in an abundant stream Amen." 
 
 In this quiet and dignified manner was Griindler able to 
 answer the whole of the long letter, and he then set about 
 selling the Mission property. He began with a little house 
 and garden in Poreiar, which had formerly been his own 
 favorite residence, and he also sold by auction a small house 
 in the town. But a consolatory letter from Aug. Herm. 
 Franke, the strong in faith, again gave him a little courage 
 and pleasure, so that he stopped any further sales ; and 
 when in September, three new Missionaries arrived in Tran- 
 quebar : Schultze, Dal and Kistenrnacher, Griindler again 
 revived. He gave himself great pains to teach the new 
 Missionaries the language and the customs of the country 
 
 18 ' 
 
188 
 
 and felt himself especially drawn towards Benjamin 
 Schnltze, in whom he correctly discerned real power. Franke 
 had sent out the three new Missionaries unordained, and 
 not via Denmark, and so Grundler first ordained Schultze, 
 that he might represent him in everything. Gnindler him- 
 self proposed to make a journey to Copenhagen, as Ziegen- 
 balg had done before, in order to talk about things per- 
 sonally and set matters right. First, however, he wished to 
 spend some time in Madras, in order to preach to the hea- 
 thens there. He, therefore, wrote to the Governor of Madras 
 and requested permission to rent a house in the so-called 
 Black Town, in order from thence to preach to the heathens, 
 and requested him also to afford such help as might be 
 required. 
 
 But this revival of Grundler was only the last flicker of 
 his dying life-flame. His strength, devoured by a violent 
 fever, soon decreased. Nevertheless, he caused himself to 
 be put on board ship, in order to travel by sea to Cudda- 
 lore, where he had already been, and he trusted the sea- 
 voyage would give him some relief. But his state grew so 
 much worse that he was obliged to turn back, and arrived 
 in Tranquebar quite exhausted. In spite of this, on his last 
 Sunday on earth, he put on his robes yet once again and 
 tottered to the Church. Schultze, who was conducting the 
 Service, was terrified when he saw him enter the vestry, 
 " But, you cannot stand !" he exclaimed, " I must," was 
 Griindler's curt reply, and he endeavoured with copious 
 draughts of water to still his inward fire. He then stepped 
 in front of the Altar, and stretching out his hands, blessed 
 his poor congregation. This was his farewell to his flock ; 
 and on the 19th March 1720, " he fell softly and peacefully 
 asleep in his Saviour." On the following day, Schultze 
 laid him to rest by the side of his friend Ziegenbalg. His 
 widow wrote to Prof. Franke : " As far as my dear hus- 
 band is concerned, the true cause of his death was the sor- 
 row and grief which the cruel letter of the Mission Direc- 
 tors caused him. I can assure your Reverence, that from 
 that time, my deceased husband was unhappy, and had no 
 longer any pleasure in his work, as formerly. In this way 
 his strength was consumed from day to day, until at last 
 the Lord freed him from all his sufferings. 
 
 In this way both of the first Lutheran Missionaries of 
 Tranquebar had been laid to rest. They are both buried 
 
139 
 
 in the Church which they built, in front of the Altar, 
 from which they so often administered the consolation of 
 eternal life, and in view of the pulpit from which they so 
 often proclaimed Him, who is the Resurrection and the 
 Life. Griindler was a humble, faithful and ' thorough' 
 servant of his Master ; may God grant us many such good 
 and faithful workmen, and an end like his end ! Amen. 
 
 The flock in Tranquebar was severely tried. For some 
 years they had seen their Missionaries no longer working 
 with their former pleasure, and then they had to bury their 
 beloved pastor. Griindler did what he could ; but he soon 
 fell sick, so that he could no more ; and when at length ho 
 recovered, the letter of the Danish Directors lay upon him 
 like a night-mare, and prevented every free movement. At 
 last be began to tear down his own work by selling the 
 Mission property, and then at last he too succumbed, before 
 the new Missionaries had been six months in Tranquebar, 
 or had mastered the language. It can scarcely be imagined 
 how severe was this trial to the young inexperienced con- 
 gregation, only just won from idolatry and living in the 
 midst of heathens. 
 
 In the same way we can scarcely comprehend the diffi- 
 culty of Benjamin Schultze's task. He was the only 
 ordained Minister, and had now to bear upon his shoulders, 
 not only the Tamulian, but also the Portuguese flock, with- 
 out being master of either of the languages. His colleagues 
 were even still less so. Missionary Kistenmacher was 
 always sickly, was not able to adapt himself to the circum- 
 stances, and at last died. Dal, a Dane, took time. He troubled 
 himself very little about Tamil, and after years had not 
 mastered Portuguese. On the other hand he was strong in 
 heartless criticisms, and had a bitter pen and he passed 
 these unkind and severe criticisms not only on his over- 
 worked colleague Schultze, but also on Ziegenbalg, whom he 
 had not known, and on Griindler, of whose humble and 
 manly piety he himself had been a witness. A youth such 
 as this, who knew nothing of the country or the people, 
 and who understood nothing of the Mission work, for he 
 had not yet even learnt the language, was able in cool blood 
 to call such precious servants of God " cheated cheats." 
 Dal lived long enough to see the thorough falsehood and 
 sinfulness of his judgment, but I can nowhere find that he 
 ever retracted it. 
 
140 
 
 So much the more commendable appears Schultze's action 
 at this juncture. Returned from Griindler's burial, he called 
 his colleagues, spoke to them words of encouragement, and 
 made them promise him to labor faithfully at the work. 
 He then fell with them upon his knees and prayed God to 
 grant them strength and His blessing for this purpose. 
 After this he called the congregation, and through an inter- 
 preter, for he was not yet able to speak to them himself, he 
 consoled and encouraged them. They in their turn felt the 
 consolation offered and begged him to administer the holy 
 Communion. This he did as well as he could and begged 
 the people to pardon his mistakes in Tamil. They then 
 reassured him, said that they had understood everything, 
 and were rejoiced to see that the Lord had so far helped 
 him. This pleased him and four weeks afterwards he 
 began to preach in Tamil, and he preached so willingly and 
 so zealously that when suffering from swollen feet, the 
 effects of a violent fever, he caused himself to be carried 
 into the Church and preached to them sitting. 
 
 He soon saw that it was absolutely necessary to learn 
 Portuguese, and this he naturally found much easier than 
 Tamil. He then made a practice of preaching every Sunday 
 morning in both Tamil and Portuguese, and in the after- 
 noon to catechize in Tamil : and when after the burden and 
 the heat of the day he retired to his lonely room, he gave 
 himself fresh heart, and strengthened himself in the Lord 
 with a good German hymn. One Sunday evening after 
 he had sung, " Love, that art to me a model," &e., and had 
 felt strengthened by it, he thought to himself " Yes ! you 
 can sing that, but what can the poor Tamil School children 
 do ? If only somebody could translate it for them !" And 
 so he at once set about translating the hymn. The words 
 came easily into his mouth ; first one verse was finished and 
 then another, and by two hours after midnight he had got 
 the whole hymn finished. This gave Sehultze courage and 
 pleasure, and during the next week he went on and trans- 
 lated " And now we beg the Holy Ghost," "Alone to God on 
 High be praise," " Now thank we all our God," and after- 
 wards some others. These he taught to the School boys and 
 sang them over together with them, until they had got the 
 tunes by heart. It is true that these translations were by 
 no means perfect, but they supplied a want and were gladly 
 sung. 
 
141 
 
 Whilst Schultze was thus doing his duty amongst his flock 
 with great diligence and self-sacrifice, he did not forget the 
 heathens. Every week he had a day set apart for them, 
 and when he went out he took his school children with 
 him to the number of about 40. Arrived at a village he 
 stopped in the street and struck up a hymn. A German 
 tune sung by 40 throats soon collected a number of people, 
 and when the sound of the last verse had died away, 
 Schultze uncovered his head and prayed to God for these 
 heathens and then only he addressed them. After the address, 
 a conversation shorter or longer according to circumstances, 
 ensued between the heathens and himself and assistants, 
 and then the troup of Evangelists went away to another 
 village. For six years Schultze thus travelled over the 
 Tranquebar territory with its 30,000 inhabitants, so that 
 scarcely one remained who had had no opportunity of hear- 
 ing his voice. His Missionary results were also quite equal 
 to the previous standard. During 14 years, Ziegenbalg and 
 Grundler had baptized and received 452 Tamulians and 
 Portuguese or about 33 in a year. During the six years 
 that Schultze passed in Tranquebar, he had baptized and 
 received 1 74 Tamulians and Portuguese, or about 29 per 
 annum. At the same time he was as good as alone, for 
 Dal, not knowing the language was unable to help him. 
 Schultze also worked diligently on the translation of the 
 Bible which Ziegenbnlg had commenced, and in which, after 
 completing the New Testament, he had got as far as the Book 
 of Ruth. Schultze finished all the remaining books of the 
 Old Testament. 
 
 Schultze had, like Ziegenbalg before him, often longed to 
 preach the Gospel to the distant heathens living beyond the 
 little Danish territory. But he was not able to leave 
 Tranquebar ; besides the Tranquebar territory was sur- 
 rounded by the country of the King of Tanjore, where 
 travelling was unsafe, let alone preaching. In the Mogul's 
 territory which was not far distant to the north, it was 
 certainly much safer and much more open ; but he could not 
 travel thither, because he was not able to leave Tranquebar 
 for so long a time. In June 1725, however, there came to 
 Tranquebar three new Missionaries Bosse, Pressier and 
 Walther. The two last were able men and commenced the 
 work of the Lord vigorously. But they were ignorant of 
 the language, and so Schultze had to remain in order to 
 instruct them in this as well as in the Mission affairs 
 
142 
 
 generally. He, therefore, remained until the spring of 1726, 
 and then left Tranquebar on the Monday after Sexagesima. 
 Like Griindler did shortly before his death, he sailed in a 
 little boat from Tranquebar to Cuddalore and journeyed 
 from thence to Madras and even still further on foot. On the 
 road the words of the Gospel of the day from which he had 
 preached in Tranquebar on his last Sunda}^ were conti- 
 nually sounding in his ears, " There went forth a sower to 
 sow," and so Schultze went forth sowing his seed, until at 
 last he settled down in Madras where we shall find him 
 again. 
 
 In Tranquebar there were now three Missionaries in 
 Schultze's place besides Dal, who, to be sure, was there also. 
 But five more years lasted before Dal was ordained, so that 
 he had to go through a probationary time in Tranquebar 
 for eleven years. The management of the Mission never 
 came into Dai's hands. It was undertaken for the present 
 by Walther and Pressier. About this time the Gospel 
 began to spread in Tanjore, though the Missionaries were 
 not yet able to travel there. Christians from thence came to 
 the festivals in Tranquebar and also to the Communion, 
 and were ministered to in other matters by native assist- 
 ants until the Missionaries were at last able to come them- 
 selves. 
 
 Many faithful servants of the Lord labored in Tranquebar 
 in succession or together, and served each the Lord according 
 to the talents with which he had been endowed, and the 
 circumstances that surrounded him, until in 1837, the last 
 of them, A. F. Cammerer, fell asleep. From this time the 
 two Danish congregations in Danish territory, (for the other 
 congregations in British territory had gradually passed into 
 English hands) were ministered to though inefficiently, by 
 the Danish Chaplains. Germany had by degrees become 
 as poor as Denmark had been in the commencement and 
 had no longer any Missionaries for the Tamulians. For 
 without faith there can be no messengers of faith. And 
 Germany had through " philosophy and vain deceit after the 
 tradition of men and the rudiments of the world" lost ever 
 more and more of her faith. But when God fetched a 
 scourge from Corsica, and chastised Germany with it in a 
 manner she well deserved, she got no help from her philo- 
 sophy. But the Lord helped her, when she again turned 
 towards him, and soon afterwards there were again mes- 
 
143 
 
 sengers of faith. In 1840, only three years after Cammerer's 
 death, another German Missionary, Cordes, landed in 
 Tranquebar. The whole town was in a state of excite- 
 ment when the news came that a German Missionary to 
 the Tamulians had arrived in Madras and was on his way 
 to Tranquebar. Europeans as well as natives were equally 
 well pleased, for our fathers had left a good reputation 
 behind them. Even to this day there still live in Tranque- 
 bar, two sisters, children of the Missionary Doctor Martini, 
 who were both born in the last century, and who still like 
 to tell of the quiet arid friendly habits of the Missionaries 
 of that time. 
 
 But if the beginning of everything is difficult, it is 
 often even more difficult to rebuild what has tumbled 
 down. In Madras already Missionary Cordes received all 
 kinds of well-meant advice against wasting his energies 
 in the out-of-the-way Tranquebar, &c. He was told that 
 Tranquebar was not even worth the experiment of re-build- 
 ing. But his Lutheran conscience led Cordes to Tranque- 
 bar, for here only was to found a Lutheran congregation 
 with all the forms of Lutheran worship, though it is true 
 that it may be said to have been in its last gasp. Besides, 
 his instructions were to go first to Tranquebar, and it is 
 always right and proper to allow one's self to be guided and 
 to be led as it were by the hand into the path which God 
 wishes one to follow. One's own paths may be more inter- 
 esting, but are never the best. 
 
 Arrived in Tranquebar, Cordes was received with open 
 arms, and although everything was not exactly as it ought 
 to have been, by degrees matter got into order. The 
 Danish Chaplain, who had been in temporary charge of 
 the Mission, soon allowed him to help in the work, and 
 when he went home, handed over everything into his 
 charge. The Tamil congregation also soon met him with 
 entire confidence, and even the local Government, though 
 but little inclined to let the old German work again get 
 into German hands, approved of Cordes' work, and when 
 the Chaplain left, entrusted to him the care of all the con- 
 gregations. 
 
 When Tranquebar was sold to England, the Governor, 
 however, once more came forward with his wishes ; he was 
 of opinion that the Missionary power of Germany had 
 
144 
 
 
 
 departed, and that it would be better to hand over the 
 Mission to the Gospel Propagation Society (" a rich English 
 Company," as he styled it,) which had already taken over 
 the Mission station established in English territory. And 
 those who had formerly spoken against doing an)' thing 
 for Tranquebar, were now only too willing to do too much 
 for her. Even Spencer, the Bishop of Madras, thought it 
 worth his while to stretch out his hand for it; for he wrote 
 to Cordes and expressed his anxiety lest Tranquebar should 
 be now left orphaned and forsaken, and his willingness to 
 protect her. Cordes answered that so far was the idea of 
 forsaking the congregation removed from his thoughts, 
 that he intended to continue the Tranquebar Mission as 
 a Lutheran one ! It should, however, be remembered to the 
 praise of the Danish Missionary College that it distinctly 
 announced to the local Government at Tranquebar that the 
 Mission must remain Lutheran. On this account, said the 
 Governor, he handed it over to Cordes. 
 
 As far as the Tamil congregation is concerned it should 
 also be remembered to their honour, that they neither 
 allowed themselves to be led away by the wealth of the so- 
 called Company, nor blinded by the pomp and influence of 
 the Bishop. It remained not only true to its German Mis- 
 sionary, but also addressed to the King of Denmark the 
 prayer that they might be given over into the hands, not 
 of the English, but of the Lutheran Society, " lest they 
 should also lose in spiritual matters, what, owing to the 
 sale of Tranquebar, they must necessarily lose in temporal 
 matters." Their prayer was heard. In 1847, the royal 
 Mission College at Copenhagen formally gave over to the 
 Lutheran Mission all their lands and buildings together 
 with some 1,500 Christians, 14 Schools, 5 Catechists, 16 
 teachers, &c. From that time peace with the S. P G. Mis- 
 sionaries could naturally not be very great, especially as it 
 soon became apparent that the Lutheran Mission in Tran- 
 quebar had really again come to life. As in the commence- 
 ment, the work of the Lord began again to spread from 
 Tranquebar and to extend far into the land of the Tamu- 
 lians. 
 
 Missionary work is a work of fighting and struggling, for 
 the heathens do not allow themselves to be won to the King- 
 dom of God without a struggle. They defend what they 
 have, which they have received from their forefathers, and 
 
145 
 
 the more so as ifc is so closely bound up with their country 
 and their mode of life. As Missionaries, therefore, are 
 obliged to be continually fighting, ifc is no wonder that they 
 sometimes quarrel among themselves. It was thus with 
 the very first Missionaries who went to preach to the hea- 
 thens. They quarrelled, and as it now seems to us, about 
 some very trifling matter, and so bitter was the quarrel 
 that they parted. And yet these were the most self-deny- 
 ing Missionaries that ever lived. Their names are known 
 as Barnabas and Saul. But their quarrel and separation 
 tended only to the furtherance of their work, and this alone 
 might teach us to have patience with the disputants. In 
 the Lutheran Mission there has also been no want of quar- 
 rels from Ziegenbalg's time to the present day. And there 
 will be such as long as ever there will be a Lutheran Mis- 
 sion, and should there be no longer such a Mission, there 
 will be quarrels as long as ever there are Christians living 
 in the world. 
 
 " All envy now and hatred quell, 
 
 Let peace and love among, us dwell," 
 
 is a beautiful and proper prayer, and is being heard conti- 
 nually, but it will be fully and completely answered only 
 when we reach home and are no longer in a foreign land. 
 
 As in the old, so in the young Mission all the Missionaries 
 who came to Tranquebar did not remain in the Tamil coun- 
 try. Many returned home, and now and then some one or 
 the other raised an evil clamour. Bovingh had made a be- 
 ginning in Ziegenbalg's time and he found many imitators. 
 But the work of the Lord must continue to spread " through 
 good repute and evil repute, and the evil repute may, per- 
 haps, be as necessary and as useful as the good. Like its 
 King the Kingdom of the Lord must wear for the natural 
 man, " neither form nor comeliness," nor has it had any 
 from the days of the Apostles. How could it otherwise be 
 His Kingdom ? But it will receive both when the King will 
 put on His form and His comeliness. Until then we walk 
 in faith and not by sight. 
 
 Tranquebar is again as it was in the beginning the centre 
 of the Lutheran Mission in the Tamil country. The 
 " Senior" of the Mission resides there who, in the Mission 
 Council, regulates the whole Mission. The experience of 
 many years that the admission of newly arrived Mission- 
 
 19 
 
UG 
 
 aries to an equal vote and rank is the cause of much 
 trouble and much confusion has never led to any good. 
 Newly arrived Missionaries must, therefore, study the lan- 
 guage, the people and their relations for two years and 
 then pass an examination in Tamil consisting of a sermon 
 (ex tempore, not read from manuscripts) and fluent conver- 
 sation before they are allowed an independent charge and 
 an equal vote. But because the Missionaries are no longer 
 in Tranquebar, or even within easy reach of each other, but 
 for the most part are scattered over almost the whole extent 
 of the Tamil country, so that a frequent meeting would be 
 attended with great expense and loss of time, a regular 
 Mission Council has been constituted from out of the 
 Missionaries resident in or near Tranquebar, which is pre- 
 sided over by the Senior and consults over and directs the 
 various circumstances of the Mission. Once a year, gene- 
 rally in February, all the Missionaries assemble in Tranque- 
 bar for a Synod, in which the Senior presides and to 
 which he renders an account of his management during the 
 year. When the business-part of the meeting is over, two 
 addresses are generally given, one learned and the other 
 more practical which are afterwards discussed by all the 
 Missionaries in debate. As, however, several native preachers 
 work together with the German Missionaries, on their 
 account a rule is made to speak Tamil only on the first 
 day, on which also practical matters are generally discussed. 
 During latter years, a Mission feast has been added, at which 
 the different Missionaries give a short address regarding 
 their work and the spread of the Gospel. A German 
 Service closes, as it had commenced the proceedings, 
 and a participation in the Holy Communion forms a fresh 
 bond of connection, whilst at the same time it invigorates 
 the Missionaries to renewed work and to renewed struggles 
 in their, for the most part, solitary posts. The Synod, there- 
 fore, is to the Missionaries generally and to the Senior espe- 
 cially a week of hard work though at the same time a 
 welcome opportunity of strengthening in the Lord and 
 renewal of brotherly love. The Seminary where the 
 teachers, catechists and preachers are educated is also in 
 Tranquebar, as also the Central School to which every 
 Missionary can send the pupils to have them educated in 
 further training. In addition there is still at Tranquebar 
 a Printing Press as there was during the time of Ziegen- 
 balg in which all Church, School and house books are 
 
147 
 
 printed, the editorial labor of which, together with that of 
 a Tamil monthly paper, is entrusted to an especially 
 appointed member of the Mission Mr. Blomstrand. 
 
 The Portuguese communit} T which lasted from Ziegen- 
 balg's days to ours has ceased to exist as such ; that is, a 
 Portuguese Service is no longer held ; a few members, how- 
 ever, of the old congregation still live and they attend either 
 the Tamil or the English Service which is still held in 
 Ziegenbalg's Church alternately with a German Service. 
 This little European congregation numbers some 60 souls, 
 whilst the Tamil one consists of about 700 ; to these must be 
 added the two suburbs of Tranquebar, Tiroomenyam under 
 the charge of the Central School, Mr. Scheffer, with 117, and 
 Manikraman under the control of Missionary Blomstrand 
 with 300 souls. Poryar, once inhabited by Grundler and 
 given up by him, has again been worked, and since 1842 a 
 Missionary has resided there, at present Missionary Schanz. 
 His flock consists of 900 souls living in or near Poryar. In 
 and around Tranquebar there are, therefore, more than 2,000 
 adherents of the Lutheran confession ; some 350 Christian 
 children are also educated there, and about 100 heathen 
 children also take part in the instruction given in the 
 Christian Schools. From 1706 to 1869 there were, on the 
 average, 100 converts christened or received every year, for 
 the number in the Tranquebar Church books is at present 
 17,440. 
 
 In spite of all this, Tranquebar is still essentially a hea- 
 then town, and the little territory, formerly Danish, is 
 essentially a heathen country in which the old idolatry 
 with its rites is still practised. After the faithful work 
 of 160 years, and after so many prayers, can it then be that 
 the old territory with its 30,000 inhabitants is not yet con- 
 verted ? It is not ! and if it would not shock the reader, I 
 would add that there is not much prospect of its being so 
 converted. And even though every year more or less hea- 
 thens may be instructed and baptized, still even by these 
 means there is no speedy prospect of converting the whole. 
 And why not ? I shall be prepared to answer this question 
 fully and satisfactorily as soon as I get an answer to the 
 much older question : How was it that Moses, with all his- 
 signs and wonders and with a whole race of Priests and 
 Levites, was not able to convert his own people although 
 he had them under his sole direction for 40 years ? or the 
 
148 
 
 other question : Why it was that the twelve Apostles, with 
 the fullness of the Holy Ghost, with 500 brethren to help 
 them and with many signs, wonders and powers, were not able 
 to convert the town of Jerusalem not to speak of the little 
 country of Judea and Samaria ? The Apostle Paul has 
 already given the answer, only many a Missionary friend 
 would seem to have forgotten it. It is written in 2 Thess., 
 Ill, 2, and runs : " For all men have not faith" 
 
 The different Mission-stations of our day are in many 
 respects like the cloisters of the middle ages in heathen 
 Germany. By them there was established in the midst of 
 heathendom and idolatry a service of God of whom the 
 heathen had no conception. Cloister-schools were estab- 
 lished in connection with the cloisters, and in the same 
 way there are one or more schools in every Mission-station. 
 In this way the saving truth is brought home to old and 
 young and there are continually some to be found who 
 have a yearning towards it. In these solitary Mission- 
 stations a light is kindled in the midst of heathen darkness, 
 and if the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ does not 
 spread so rapidly as the light of the sun travels through 
 space, the reason of it is that the heathen devilish atmos- 
 phere is so thick. When, however, everything is ready, 
 there will no doubt arise a Bonifacius, who will not only 
 collect and rule, but who will also hew down the idolaters' 
 oaks with a sharp axe. Even in the Roman Empire, hea- 
 thendom, long since rotten and crumbling, did not fall, in 
 spite of the three centuries of preaching of the Apostles and 
 their disciples, until the converted Roman Emperors over- 
 turned it by force and forbad its practise on pain of death. 
 And what is a European oak compared with an Indian 
 banian tree ? Will the 200 millions of India at once form 
 themselves into a Christian community merely because it 
 is the wish of a handful of poor powerless strangers ? No 
 deeply rooted tree can fall unless assailed by a mighty 
 storm. Will the deeply rooted, thousand-trunked banian 
 of Indian religious life suddenly fall down under a serene 
 sky? 
 
 A stream does not forsake its customary bed without 
 mighty earthquakes. Will the deep and mighty stream of 
 Hindoo religion forsake the bed in which it has flowed for 
 thousands of years whilst bright sunshine is all around ? 
 It is possible that these storms and earthquakes are not far 
 
149 
 
 removed from India, but if they are to prove beneficial to 
 the people, it is necessary now to preach of Him, who has 
 said : " Call upon me in the hour of need and I will deliver 
 thee," for how can they call upon Him of whom they have 
 not heard. Need, however, teaches prayer and supplication. 
 The hope even for these millions may, therefore, remain 
 undisturbed. In the meantime, let every Christian rejoice 
 with the angels of God over each heathen who throws aside 
 his idols and calls Christ his Lord ! 
 
 2. Madras. 
 
 Madras is situated some 170 miles north of Tranquebar, 
 and in the good old times a journey thither in a bullock 
 coach always lasted nine days, and often even more. But 
 in the last ten years the roads have been improved and 
 bridges have been built so that the distance can now be 
 done in about seven days. There are also now railways in 
 the Tamil country and by these, though none touches at 
 Tranquebar, it is possible, by wide detours, to reach Madras 
 in two days. So altered are the times. 
 
 The first Mission-station from Tranquebar was founded 
 in Madras other stations followed, either from Madras, as 
 Cuddalore, or from Tranquebar as Trichinopoly arid Tanjore. 
 Madras is now the largest town in the Tamil country, and 
 built like Nineveh with many gardens between, so that tho 
 different parts of the town seem to have little connection. 
 In the middle of this large town is Fort Saint George, in 
 which are most of the Government offices. If an official 
 lives at the Adyar, a river in one of the southern suburbs 
 of Madras, he has a drive to his office of some six miles, and 
 the distances from the west and the north are not much 
 less. Half a million men inhabit this scattered town, and 
 every family lives in a separate house. The palace-like 
 buildings of the higher English officials lie far apart from 
 each other, each one in its separate ' compound' so that 
 often one house is scarcely visible from the other. Shady 
 trees fill the compounds, and flowers surround the houses. 
 The poor who pass by may well think each to be a little 
 Paradise. Snakes, however, of many a form are not wanting 
 in these Paradises, and the Indian sun is one of them. 
 Near the Fort is the so-called "Black Town" the town 
 proper of the natives. It is built mostly of one-storied 
 
150 
 
 houses and is inhabited by a dark brown race for the most 
 part with naked bodies and voluble tongues. Here and 
 there the leisurely Tamulian is sometimes seen in a hurry 
 and the .' mild Hindoo' with his face marked with passions. 
 If only the hideous idol marks did not so disfigure the 
 foreheads of the men ! The old women too manage to give 
 themselves a regular demoniac appearance by smearing 
 their foreheads with Siva's ashes. But we will gladly leave 
 the narrow crowded, heated and noisy streets, for their 
 smell is intolerable. 
 
 Here in this Black Town, but in that portion which is near 
 .the sea, where the air is purer, and it is more possible for a 
 European to live, Schultze founded the first Mission-station 
 in Madras. We saw him leave Tranquebar on the Monday 
 after Sexagesima in 1726. As far as Cuddalore he travelled 
 by sea, in order to avoid the extortions of the Tanjore king- 
 dom. For it was their custom to squeeze from each travel- 
 ler, even from strange natives, tolls in payment of the pro- 
 tection they enjoyed supposing they were fortunate to get 
 through without being robbed. But the extortions prac- 
 tised were so oppressive that a rich native, who had himself 
 suffered from them, offered the Mogul a considerable sum 
 on condition that these tolls should no longer be de- 
 manded from travellers. The Prince consented, and two 
 years before Schultze's arrival all the tolls were abolished. 
 Schultze, therefore, as soon as he was outside the kingdom 
 of Tanjore, was able, thanks to the unknown Tamulian, to 
 travel free and unhindered. He first went from Cuddalore 
 to the great pagoda town, Chellumbram and back again, and 
 then commenced his journey to Madras after having preached 
 to the heathens in Cuddalore and visited their schools. For 
 the present he did not stop long in Madras, but went towards 
 the north as far as Pulicat, the northern boundary of Tamil 
 land. From thence he left the sea and struck inland 
 towards the west everywhere preaching the Gospel to the 
 heathens. 
 
 Benjamin Schultze appears to have been of strong consti- 
 tution, and at that time of good health ; for he did all his 
 travelling on foot, with only one native companion who 
 carried the most necessary articles and a mat of rushes. 
 His food was rice and curry as it is prepared by natives, 
 plentifully supplied with red pepper, and not always free 
 of sand which grates between the teeth. His table and his 
 
151 
 
 crockery consisted of a leaf-plate, as made by the Tamu- 
 lians from the nearest tree, a number of leaves stitched 
 together with thorn-like needles, so that a round surface is 
 presented. On this leaf-plate the curry and rice is piled 
 as much as is required, and this was the way that Schultze 
 fared. He had brought, however, with him, from Tranque- 
 bar, one article of luxury a spoon. This he pulled out ol 
 bis pocket, sat down on the mat, and so enjoyed his Indian 
 meal. At night he spread his mat in or near a hut and 
 slept in peace. It was the hottest time of the year. He 
 had often, during the heat of the day, to take shelter under 
 a tree and to suffer from headache. No wonder, though it 
 is a wonder that he escaped sunstroke and death. In this 
 way he travelled about for months, visiting the heathen 
 schools and preaching in a hundred different villages, until 
 in July he arrived in Madras, bare foot, limping and sick. 
 But in fourteen days his giant-like nature had recovered 
 and he was ready to commence his labor of love. 
 
 He first of all only asked for the permission of the Go- 
 vernor of Madras to live there and establish a school. The 
 Governor, however, not only gave him this permission, but 
 also promised him assistance and protection. Schultze 
 then returned to Tranquebar to consult with his colleagues, 
 and so to found the Mission in Madras with their approval. 
 The brethren were unwilling to lose him and Dal, especi- 
 ally, would not hear of Schultze's departure, although he 
 did not hesitate to criticize many of his actions and to 
 report them to Europe. But as there were already four 
 Missionaries in Tranquebar, there was not the slightest 
 reason to keep him there as the fifth, especially as they did 
 not willingly allow themselves to be led by him. He, there- 
 fore, again turned to Madras, and, though unwillingly, was 
 allowed by his colleagues to go in peace. 
 
 Schultze hired himself a house in Black Town, in the 
 midst of the natives and published, by a notice affixed to 
 his door, that he would instruct all children that might be 
 sent to him. In a short time he had not only a school of 
 children, but also so many grown up visitors that he had to 
 assign a special time at which he was to be spoken to by all. 
 Every morning he taught for an hour in the school, and then 
 from 9 to 10 he remained under the verandah of his house 
 to speak to all who might choose to come. In this way 
 the Gospel was soon made known to many. 
 
152 
 
 But again and again there came to him men who spoke 
 only Telugu and whom Schultze could, therefore, neither 
 understand, nor could he preach to them of Christ. He, 
 therefore, began to study this language. Telugu is a sister 
 language of Tamil, the most melodious of the Dravidian 
 languages, and so, especially as he had no ordinary talent 
 for languages, Schultze soon mastered it. In a short time 
 he wrote a Grammar of the language arid translated into it 
 the Catechism and, subsequentl} 7 ", he translated the New 
 Testament and indeed the whole Bible. 
 
 There is, however, a language spoken on the Ganges and 
 the Cauvery, and understood on the Indus as well as the 
 Palar. In the south of India it is generally spoken by the 
 Mahomedans and is called the Mahomedan language, 
 (Tulukku pashei). But in the north of India it is spoken by 
 the Hindoos, and in the Presidencies of Calcutta and Bombay 
 even Europeans are obliged to learn it. Hindoos who come 
 from the north to the south frequently can speak nothing 
 but this so-called Hindustanee. It is written in both Arabic 
 and Sanscrit characters. It has, however, nothing in common 
 with Arabic, but has with Persian to which it is nearly 
 related ; as, however, many Hindoos from the north who 
 could only speak this language came to Schultze for instruc- 
 tion, he commenced to study this language in order to be able 
 to assist them. It is not a difficult language and a knowledge 
 of it is even now useful to the Missionary in the Tamil 
 country who wishes to work among this people. Schultze 
 wrote also a Hindustanee Grammar and made several trans- 
 lations into the language. In this way he spent the hot 
 hours of the day (when he must needs be under a safe roof) 
 in useful labors in which he was unwearied. 
 
 With the catechumens Schultze was at first very cautious. 
 For all over India, and especially in the larger towns there are 
 vagabonds who do not object to being instructed, if during 
 the same period they can get food, as indeed is only fair when 
 the persons are really poor. And these men often allow them- 
 selves to be baptized solely on account of the Baptismal cloth, 
 just as the old Saxons and Pommeraniaus did. The younger 
 Missionaries are often hoodwinked by such persons, who 
 indeed are like the wind ; they come, no one knows whence, 
 and go, no one knows whither. Schultze, therefore, 
 required that every one who wished to be considered and 
 instructed as a catechumen should first tell his place of 
 
153 
 
 residence and his means of living. Even in the present 
 time this rule is a good one and especially so in new Mis- 
 sion-stations where the Missionary has no congregation by 
 his side to warn him against such people. In this way 
 Schultze spent two years in Madras teaching and preaching. 
 From 1728 to 1730, he collected a congregation of 200 souls, 
 in spite of the exertions of the Jesuits who tried to make 
 the people suspicious of him. In 1730, Missionary Sartorius 
 came to help Schultze. Sartorius was a good, pious man and 
 lived in peace. But in 1832, there came one Geister, who 
 proved a great plague to himself and to others. Amongst 
 the rest he gave Schultze much trouble; and as Schultze 
 was then sick, for he suffered much in the chest, he with- 
 drew himself almost entirely and kept to his literary 
 labors. But when in 1737 Sartorius and Geister went to 
 Cuddalore, and Schultze was again unfettered, he baptized 
 in a short time over 100 heathens. Schultze lasted until 
 1742 and spent, therefore, 16 years in the Black Town of 
 Madras. Then, however, he broke down entirely, so that 
 he had to return to Germany where he lived, in the ' Wai- 
 senhas' at Halle until 1760, ever ready and eager for work, 
 until at last he entered upon his rest over seventy years 
 of age. 
 
 Benjamin Schultze was one of our most gifted and labo- 
 rious Missionaries of the greatest abstemiousness and un- 
 selfishness. He baptized of heathens, or received from the 
 Roman Catholics, some 700 souls, and many heathen heard 
 in many places and in many languages the tidings of the 
 Gospel from his lips. It is true he had his peculiar man- 
 ner, but when we call to mind those teachers who have 
 preached the Lord's* word, arid through whose labors so 
 many have been brought to believe, we should imitate the 
 faith in which they served the Lord here, in which they 
 died, and in which they are now before Him in eternity. 
 As to their faults they died with their bodies, and we should 
 suffer them to be dead and buried with them. For that is 
 the most honorable and the most fitting thing for us to do. 
 
 Schultze handed over charge of his station to John Phil. 
 Fabricius who had arrived two years previously from Tran- 
 quebar. Fabricius received his salary as Schultze had before 
 him, and as the subsequent Missionaries did, no longer from 
 Tranquebar, but from the Christian Knowledge Society in 
 London. Fabricius was a pious, humble man with a sincere 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 love for peace, of which, however, as far as worldly matters 
 are concerned, he enjoyed but little. He ruled the Mission 
 in Madras for 46 years ; for 33 of these from 1749-1782, he 
 was assisted by his friend J. C. Breithaupt, and these years 
 were the richest with blessing for the Mission as well as for 
 the lonely Fabricius. His times were times of war. Already 
 in 1746, whilst Fabricius was yet alone with his flock, the 
 French took first the Black Town and afterwards Fort Saint 
 George. The Mission lost its property and Fabricius, with 
 his flock, took refuge in the Dutch possession of Pulicat, 
 a day's journey from Madras. There he remained with 
 his people, or at least with the greater number of them for 
 three years, in peace and quiet, though in many a need, 
 until at last he was able to return to Madras. 
 
 In Madras he found but one portion of the Mission pro- 
 perty remaining : the churchyard. The three following 
 years were years of much distress. Then, however, help 
 came. The Romish Priests, as usual, had mixed in political 
 intrigues, and during the French occupation their conduct 
 had been such that the English Government found it neces- 
 sary to punish them. A fine large Church in Black Town 
 was completely demolished, and another in the suburb of 
 Vepery was confiscated. The Church in Vepery was made 
 over to Fabricius together with 500 Pagodas (= 1,750 Ru- 
 pees) as compensation of the losses he had suffered. At 
 last, therefore, the Mission in Madras had a roomy Church 
 and space enough to extend itself still further. The year 
 1752 closed for them in peace and joy, and for six more 
 3 7 ears the congregation, faithfully ministered to by their 
 pastors, was allowed to develop in peace. 
 
 But in the year 1758 the French were there again. 
 Again the congregation took refuge in Pulicat, but the two 
 Missionaries wished to remain at their posts and the French 
 General not only promised them every protection, but also 
 gave them a military guard. This, however, did not pre- 
 vent all their possessions being robbed, and when there was 
 nothing more to be stolen they were ill-treated. So there 
 was nothing left for them but to escape also to Pulicat. 
 This time, however, their flignt lasted only for a few months 
 and then were again able to return and continue their 
 peaceful labors. 
 
 In spite of all this distress, perhaps, in consequence of it, 
 there came ever more souls that enquired after the way of 
 
155 
 
 salvation, and not only heathen but Papists also. In the 
 same proportion the enmity of the Romish Priests increased 
 and spent itself in evil slanderings. This moved Fabricius 
 to take up the pen against them and he brought out a 
 pamphlet in which he demonstrated the errors of Popedom 
 as they had been proclaimed and denounced by the Apostles 
 beforehand. He also published a little book for the better 
 instruction of catechumens which is used to the present 
 day. His greatest literary work, however, was the revision 
 of the translation of the Bible by which he also established 
 the Tamil Church language. Perhaps no language in India 
 has so masterly and so popular a translation of the whole 
 Bible as Fabricius has produced in Tamil. In the same way 
 he finished the translations of the German hymns which 
 Ziegenbalg and Schultze had commenced, and in this he 
 displayed a singular talent for many of his translations are 
 even better than the originals. Nothing since then that had 
 been attempted in Tamil can compare with Fabricius' 
 " Hymnologia Germano Tamulica" in idiom, knowledge of 
 the language or depth of feeling. 
 
 During 46 years Fabricius and Breithaupt collected from 
 the heathens and the Papists some 1,600 souls. This is no 
 large number for so long a time, and for two such faithful 
 and able workmen and comes far behind in comparison 
 with the results of Schultze's labors. The times, however, 
 were unquiet and both Fabricius and Breithaupt were quiet 
 retired men. In 1782, Breithaupt fell asleep and the 
 brethren in Tranquebar sent to the assistance of Fabricius 
 who was over 70 years of age, the able and already experi- 
 enced Gericke. But Fabricius would not accept him and 
 Gericke had to return. For Fabricius, too, was peculiar, 
 just as his predecessor Schultze had been before him only 
 each in his own fashion. For six more years Fabricius re- 
 mained at the head of his flock and performed all the ordi- 
 nary duties, but as far as governing was concerned his day 
 was past. He had still always the same friendly smile for 
 all, and distributed his alms at the same window to worthy 
 and unworthy, needy and unneedy alike, but the careful 
 examination of each case and the punishment of misdoing 
 was a thing of the past. On the other hand, indeed, he 
 allowed himself to be misled by deceitful persons into ways 
 which he had not intended and situations which were not 
 beseeming. It was only in 1788, when he was 77 years 
 old, that he allowed Gericke to return and take over charge 
 
156 
 
 of the Mission. Even then he always liked to be in his 
 place in the Church, and amidst all sufferings which his 
 peculiarities brought upon himself and others, his friendly 
 smile never forsook him until at last death closed his eyes. 
 His faults are buried with him, but his memory lives and 
 will live as long as his heartfelt hymns are sung, and they 
 are sung, not by Lutheran congregations only, but as far as 
 the Tamil tongue extends. 
 
 Gericke was already 4G years old and had labored for 
 21 years amidst the Tamulians, especially in Cuddalore and 
 Negapatam, when he took over charge of the Mission in 
 Madras. He remained the head of it, until his death, for 
 fifteen years. He was a faithful and industrious workman 
 and beloved by all. In Madras as in Tranquebar there was 
 a Portuguese as well as a Tamil congregation to both of 
 which Gericke preached, and as the English also wished to 
 hear him he preached to them also in the evenings. 
 Naturally with this distribution of energies the Tamil 
 congregation suffered and did not increase ; the Portuguese 
 community, however, did. During the first 21 years of his 
 Missionary life, Gericke had to travel about a great deal and 
 had been continually troubled by the horrors of war, and so 
 it remained till his death. It is true that at this time there 
 was no war and his head-quarters remained at Madras, but 
 still he had to undertake long journeys. In this way he 
 visited Negapatam, which though only 18 miles from Tran- 
 quebar is some 200 miles from Madras. He even went as 
 far as Tinnevelly and during one journey baptized there 
 over 1,000 heathens and thus greatly strengthened what the 
 late Reverend Schwartz had begun at the now-so-prosperous 
 Tinnevelly Mission. He also frequently travelled to Vellore 
 some 80 miles from Madras, for Vellore was a garrison in 
 which there were British troops. But in spite of these long 
 journeys he did good work in Madras and earned there 
 much love. His chief work seems to have been amongst the 
 Europeans and Portuguese, i. e., half castes. From his last 
 journey to Vellore he never returned. His palanquin was 
 ready for a start at night but he did not feel well. Then 
 he said to his servant Nan pogiren I am going. '. But 
 you are too weak' replied the servant. Shumd iru; nan 
 pogir&n. Be quiet, I am going ! and so he went into the joy 
 of his Lord. The grief at his death was universal and, 
 though the distance was so great, his body was brought to 
 Madras and buried there with many honors. About four 
 
157 
 
 thousand persons of all classes followed his coffin both hea- 
 thens and Christians, and many wept. His private fortune 
 he bequeathed to the Mission, and during the troubled days 
 that ensued, this was its chief support. 
 
 When the brethren in Tranquebar heard that Gericke had 
 gone home, they sent Missionary Rottler to Madras and soon 
 afterwards Missionary Paezold who had previously worked 
 with Gericke in Madras for a short time returned from 
 Calcutta. Dr. Rottler was preferred by the English and 
 received the appointments held by the deceased Gericke. 
 Paezold took charge of the Tamil congregation in Vepery. 
 Neither, however, possessed the ability of the former 
 Missionaries and became more and more dependent upon 
 the English society. Indeed, what could they do ? There 
 was no prospect of any more German Missionaries ; and 
 Tranquebar itself was nearly dying out. Dr. Rottler also 
 allowed himself to be used as a means of drawing over the 
 congregations ; but when the stern churchman Bishop 
 Middleton was not ashamed to offer the 70 years old Dr. 
 Rottler re-ordination, then Rottler perceived that he had 
 gone too far ; but it was then too late. In 1816 the Bishop 
 issued instructions direct to Missionary Paezold, who had 
 no longer the energy to oppose this unauthorized interference. 
 In the following year Paezold died and now Lutheran 
 Catechism and Liturgy began to be continually edged 
 out as, indeed, was only to be expected. A committee over 
 which the Bishop presided was formed, which, in the name 
 of the English Society which had hitherto paid the salaries 
 of the German Missionaries in Madras, without, however, 
 defraying the station expenses took possession of the 
 Mission property and the control of the congregations passed 
 over into its hands. 
 
 From this time Missionaries of the Gospel Propagation 
 Society, the inheritors of the Christian Knowledge Society 
 were sent out to the congregation ; Missionaries who dis- 
 played plenty of honest zeal, but only little knowledge of 
 the peculiar circumstances of the people. Besides this many 
 an evil had crept in which could not be borne. The only 
 way to abolish them, however, was by evangelical and not 
 by arbitrary measures. For many years there was much 
 heartburning and many disputes, and the end was that the 
 most influential of the community separated themselves 
 entirely from the Mission, and appointed their own Gate- 
 
158 
 
 chist, who held service for them and buried their dead in a 
 newly purchased ground. These people were, of course, 
 denounced as baptized heathens, with whom no Missionary 
 would have anything to do ; but this they contradicted 
 every Sunday by their Christian worship at which manu- 
 script sermons of the late Fabricius were read, and from 
 day to day their conduct proved, that they had not dege- 
 nerated into heathenism, but remained Christians, though 
 feeble and weak. When, however, the Mission in Tranque- 
 bar again revived, this congregation at once turned to the 
 quarter from whence the Gospel had first of all come to 
 them, and from which Missionaries had been sent who had 
 faithfully ministered to them for 100 years. 
 
 . The brethren in Tranquebar would not have been 
 Lutheran Missionaries if they could have left the prayer of 
 these poor people unheard. They set, however, cautiously 
 to work, and first of all sent a Missionary to enquire into 
 all the circumstances and to report to them. This, of course, 
 excited the indignation of the abovenamed Society led 
 on by the Bishop, and they gave vent to it in the public 
 papers. One amongst them, at least, was a sensible man 
 and had pity upon them. This was the late Rev. Bro- 
 therton, who, only three years ago in Tinnevelly, fell asleep 
 in the Lord. He made no disguise of his wish that the 
 congregation in Madras should be given to the charge of the 
 Tranquebar Missionaries, so that it might not be entirely 
 neglected and perhaps forced to fall away altogether. 
 
 In 1848, the connection with Tranquebar and the recep- 
 tion into the Lutheran Church was at last effected, but 
 under conditions which necessitated considerable discussion. 
 The hardest of these conditions was that the congregation 
 should provide for its own wants. Hitherto the Tamil 
 Christians had believed in nothing so firmly as that the first 
 duty of a Missionary was to provide not only for Church 
 and school requirements, but also to maintain and protect 
 the poor. Under the Danish Royal instructions the Mis- 
 sionaries were prohibited from taking anything from the 
 converted heathen, which rr.le, as in the commencement 
 most of them were very poor, not unnaturally extended also 
 to the requirements of the congregation. The Missionaries, 
 therefore, were, compelled to bear all the costs themselves. 
 The out-stations being only copies of the principal one at 
 Tranquebar, it became a rule everywhere that the Gospel 
 
159 
 
 should be preached free to the heathens. No wonder then 
 that the congregation at Vepery were taken aback when it 
 was made a condition that they should provide for their 
 own requirements ; as, however, they already had been for 
 two years separated from the English Mission, and had 
 during that time borne all such costs, and as their position 
 could not remain a permanent one, the} 7 at last consented 
 and agreed to accept the conditions. 
 
 There were still some 400 souls who had held out so long, 
 and to these the Reverend Kremmer was sent as pastor. 
 Great was the joy that they at last had another German 
 Missionary among them who was ready with German love 
 and humility to serve and care for the least among them. 
 At the first celebration of the Lord's Supper there were 90 
 communicants which was a larger number than that often 
 communicated in Gericke's time. Their numbers also in- 
 creased by new additions, and everything seemed to go 
 according to their best wishes. As in the olden time the 
 congregation again had a German Missionary to minister to 
 them with the Word and the Sacraments and to regulate 
 their ordinary conditions. 
 
 But the Kingdom of God is not to be built up without 
 fighting and quarrelling. Many of the people thought that 
 it was sufficient if the Missionary preached to them, admin- 
 istered the Sacraments and looked after and managed the 
 schools, and that he had no business to trouble himself with 
 their domestic life. But because he did so trouble himself 
 and where he discovered sins which called for repentance, 
 anger and passion was excited which led at last to a separa- 
 tion. Some 60 souls formed themselves into a kind of rival 
 congregation and also held a service. As, however, they could 
 not be received back again unless they repented and con- 
 fessed their error, and as this was just what they were not 
 willing to do, they turned to the Bishop and to the same 
 society from which they had been so long separated. And 
 the Bishop ? He received them at once and it was pro- 
 claimed in the papers how great a victory had been gained. 
 This victory was not, however, of much importance for most 
 of the people returned penitent, and the Vepery congrega- 
 tion which now resided and held its services in the adjacent 
 Purse waulkum, continued to increase and to prosper. 
 
 For a long time the congregation had to meet for worship 
 
1GO 
 
 very hot especially for the Missionary. After eight years, 
 however, on 6th December 1856, a new Church, for which 
 the people had longed, was consecrated. The building was 
 done by one of the elders of the congregation, and thus an 
 edifice arose which certainly would not satisfy the lover of 
 strict Church architecture. In the interior, however, it is 
 roomy enough, it is light and is easy to preach in. The 
 congregation, therefore, is no longer in want of a room 
 wherein to assemble, nor of the Word of God when they 
 have assembled. The simple elementary school has also 
 been raised, so that English instruction is given in addition 
 to Tamil, and several teachers have their time fully em- 
 ployed. 
 
 The congregation in Madras has grown from the 400 souls 
 which it numbered in 1848 to 1,200 and so is of about the 
 same size as it was in the time of Fabricius. As, however, 
 they no longer live in one place but are scattered some as 
 far as St. Thomas' Mount (where the Apostle Thomas is 
 said to have found a Martyr's death situated some ten 
 miles from the Church in Pursewaulkum) the Rev. Kremmer 
 has ample to do. One of the younger Missionaries is gene- 
 rally appointed to assist him, who especially looks after the 
 school and the distant stations, for joined to the Madras 
 station is that of Sadras a 12 hours' journey distant from 
 Madras. 
 
 The congregation continues to provide for its own wants, 
 and Mr. Kremmer does not neglect to keep them up to their 
 duty. Most of the new converts from the heathens are, 
 however, either unable to assist or are themselves in want of 
 assistance and the task, therefore, does not grow lighter but 
 heavier with time, and the Mission hitherto has had to 
 assist : and unless some rich converts come over who are 
 prepared to spend their fortunes in' endowing the Church, 
 it is probable that the Mission will have to assist still 
 further, for the property which the German Missionaries 
 collected and bequeathed remains, of course, together with 
 the Churches and buildings in the hands of the English 
 Society. Were it still in our hands it would be ample to 
 cover all the expenses of Church and school. As it is, help 
 from home is always required for Madras, but surely no 
 money from home could be better spent than in spreading 
 the Gospel among the heathens and in the upkeep of the 
 in a native house, which was not only too small, but also 
 
161 
 
 means of grace amongst these poor Christians. May the Lord 
 bless the congregation at Madras with all needful gifts 
 so that it may fulfil its calling as a congregation of the Lord ! 
 
 Cuddalore. 
 
 About 120 miles south of Madras two rivers flow into the 
 sea at but little distance from each other. The one is called 
 Gadalam and is said to be derived from Garuda-nadi or the 
 Garuda river. Garuda is the name of the bird sacred to 
 Vishnoo upon which he sometimes is represented as riding. 
 One day in his travels, Vishnoo came to Tiroovandipuram, 
 a holy Brahmin's Settlement, 5 miles from Cuddalore, by the 
 side of Mount Capper. The god was very thirsty ; in his 
 extremity he applied to the snake that was dedicated to 
 him, but the poor worm did not know how to help his god- 
 ship. He then applied to his faithful Garuda who opened 
 his mouth from which a stream of water poured forth, which 
 continues flowing to this day and is, therefore, called the 
 Garuda-nadi. The other river rises in the uplands of Mysore 
 220 miles from Cuddalore ; it is called the Pennar and is 
 even more holy than the Gadalam. Every day Brahmins 
 are to be seen, men and women, who wade through the 
 Gadalam, walk a mile further and then perform their ab- 
 lutions in the Pennar and carry from it their drinking 
 water in brightly burnished copper vessels. The idols, too, 
 are carried to be bathed in the Pennar. They say that the 
 water of the Pennar is more wholesome, but the probable 
 reason is that the Sivaites of which sect there are the most 
 Brahmins here, will have nothing to do with Vishnoo's 
 river. Over both rivers there are large anicuts built of 
 stone to damm up the floods which during the monsoon 
 rush down in large volumes, and from which the water 
 is led off by thousands of channels faraway into the interior, 
 in order to irrigate the rice fields. There is besides near 
 Cuddalore a tank many miles in circumference, which holds 
 water the whole year round and distributes it to the rice 
 fields far away. In this way the neighbourhood of Cudda- 
 lore is very fertile and yields two and sometimes three 
 crops in the year. The rice fields form level plains divided 
 into fields of large squares each about a quarter of an acre in 
 size, in order each to be able to retain the water ; and the 
 eye never wearies at gazing on the wonderful green of the 
 
 21 
 
162 
 
 young crop, and at the waving golden colored ears of the 
 ripening fields. The monotony of such a view is varied by 
 groves of waving palm trees. These cocoanut palms, the 
 most beautiful and the most useful trees of India, encircle 
 the rice fields as a frame does a picture, and present to the 
 eye of the wondering stranger an ever changing view vary- 
 ing in form and in extent, but always lovely. There are, 
 I doubt, few other places in India which are so well calcu- 
 lated to remind one of the Fairy Island, Ceylon. In fact the 
 whole district or collectorate of Cuddalore, or, as it is termed 
 South Arcot, is a very interesting one. The country is 
 watered not only by rivers, but also by large tanks. One 
 of these is so large that it contains 12 square miles and 
 pours forth its water from 18 sluices, so that it irrigates 
 22,000 acres of land and produces for the Government a 
 yearly revenue of Rupees 1,15,000. After the district of 
 Tanjore, that of South Arcot is the richest, i. e., the most 
 fertile in the Tamil country. There are also in the district 
 many objects of interest. Mighty ruins of former impreg- 
 nable fortresses and large pagodas with columns tumbled 
 down or still standing excite wonder. Large beds of fos- 
 sils invite study, and a petrified forest in which by mere 
 chance I found and measured trunks 50 feet in length, still 
 offers an insoluble riddle since no one has been able to find 
 out the name of the trees which here lie turned into stone. 
 Besides thousands of small and moderately sized temples, 
 there are two which are among the five holiest of the 
 Tamulians and the largest in the world, viz., those of Chel- 
 lundram and Tiroovanamalei. But the most important of 
 :all I have not yet named and that is a dark colored mass of 
 human beings above one and a quarter millions who inhabit 
 the district of Cuddalore. And this mass wanders from 
 temple to temple in order to worship dumb idols. 
 
 In the middle of the 17th century the Mahrattas were 
 masters of this district and had a Governor at Gingee (pro- 
 nounce Ginjee). Gingee was so important a fortress that 
 once when an English army marched against it, it marched 
 back again to Madras at the mere sight of it (1752). 
 To this day the ruins of the fort and the shatterred temples 
 are wondered at, but human dwellings are sought for in vain 
 in the once so powerful town. Wild jungle grows over all, 
 and monkeys and other wild animals are the sole represent- 
 atives of the former citizens of the fortress. 
 
163 
 
 In 1684 the English East India Company received per- 
 mission from the Mahratta Governor of Gingee to settle 
 down at Cuddalore and build a fort. They built the fort on 
 the left bank of the mouth of the Gadalam opposite the- 
 town of Cuddalore which lies on the south or southern side. 
 To the north-west of the fort lies Manjacoopam and Poodoo- 
 pollium with the suburb Samandalam as their boundary. 
 Of the former Fort St. David there are now only a few just 
 noticeable rums. The French whose capital was at Pondi- 
 cherry only 13 miles distant often besieged and sometimes 
 took it. In one of these attacks the French retired so sud- 
 denly that they left their dead behind. General Wangen- 
 heim, a Hanoverian, was at the time Commandant of Cud- 
 dalore. After the attack had been repulsed he rode over 
 the battle field and noticed among the dead a young French 
 officer in whom he discerned signs of life. He had him 
 carried to his house and carefully tended, so that he re- 
 covered and was subsequently exchanged. Many years 
 afterwards when the French under Bernadotte entered 
 Hanover, Bernadotte enquired after General Wangenheirn 
 who was presented to him. 'Do you remember,' he en- 
 quired of the General, ' that in the battle at Cuddalore you 
 had a young French officer carried from the field and care- 
 fully nursed in your house ?' ' Perfectly,' answered Wangen- 
 heirn, "-I have often since thought of the young man and 
 wondered what had become of him." " The ' young man' 
 stands before you, exclaimed Bernadotte, and thanks you 
 for his life !" and the enemies embraced. But besides war- 
 riors, messengers of peace also came to Cuddalore. Even 
 Ziegenbalg preached the Gospel in Cuddalore and under 
 the large banians at Samandalam where our Church now 
 stands. In 1717 Gmndler also visited Cuddalore and started 
 a Tamil and a Portuguese school, which in 1718 Ziegenbalg 
 again visited. These schools, however, did not last very 
 4ong. In 1726 Benjamin Schultze landed at Cuddalore on 
 his way to Madras, and was received by the Governor and 
 other officials in a friendly manner. He visited all the 
 heathen schools of the town and preached in and around 
 Cuddalore in many places. Amongst others he visited five 
 native schools in ' Devipatnam' "situated to the north of 
 Fort St. David ;" which Schultze mentions as a populous 
 place. Now not a single house remains standing though 
 the name Devipatnam still exists. During the many sieges of 
 the Fort St. David the town seems to have been burnt and 
 
164 
 
 destroyed. Two European houses now stand upon the site, 
 but the rest is brought under the plough. 
 
 In 1737 Sartorius and Geister were sent from Madras 
 to Cuddalore in order to found a station there. They, too, 
 were kindly received by the English, and commenced their 
 work. But in the next year the able Sartorius died and 
 Geister was left alone until in 1740 Kiernander came to 
 assist him. In the war troubles of 1746 Geister left the 
 town which was besieged by the French, he went to Batavia 
 and from there intended to go home, but on the way was 
 called to his eternal home. Kiernander had remained 
 quietly at his post awaiting better times, on his journey 
 out he had distinguished himself by his quiet, reserved 
 manner, and storms never deprived him of his composure, and 
 this stood him in good stead at Cuddalore. For, when 
 in 1745 he had baptized -a youth of good family, and had 
 sent him for further instruction to Tranquebar, the elder bro- 
 ther, Kungan, openly accused him to the Governor of having 
 secretly enticed and kidnapped him. Not content with 
 this he raised a regular tumult and came with several hun- 
 dreds of his followers in front of Kiernander's door, where, 
 amidst loud cries, he demanded that his brother should be 
 restored and the baptism removed. Kiernander went out 
 quietly to the mob, and said : ' I am very glad to see so 
 many of you together, for I shall be the better able to 
 preach the Gospel to all of you, and I trust you will prove at- 
 tentive hearers/ ' No ! No !' they shouted, ' we have not come 
 to hear, but to get back Tirupully (the baptized youth) 
 and we want this and that, and the other/ Kiernander 
 then quietly explained to them that one brother was not 
 necessarily the slave of the other, and had a perfect right to 
 leave his brother and go elsewhere ; that Tirupully, who 
 was now called Isaac, had voluntarily gone to Tranquebar 
 and that he valued his baptism too highly to suffer it to 
 be again taken away from him. Upon this some were paci- 
 fied and went away ; others, however, remained and con- 
 tinued to make an uproar until at last they again went to 
 the Governor. There, however, they got nothing until at 
 last they tired even of shouting. Isaac eventually became 
 an able Catechist, and served the Mission faithfully for 
 many years. 
 
 In 1750 Hiittemann came to help Kiernander, but the 
 
165 
 
 times were by no means quiet ones. The French besieged 
 Cuddalore, and in 1758 took it. The Missionaries were 
 allowed to retire with their property and many Christians 
 followed them. Kiernander did not wish to remain idle 
 and carried out the long-mooted plan of establishing a 
 Mission in Bengal. For in Bengal through gratitude of 
 the Great Mogul Shah Jehan, and after the Portuguese had 
 been driven out, the English had obtained a firm footing. 
 Both, however, the banishment of the Portuguese and the 
 settlement of the English are events too important to 
 be passed by without some mention. Shah Jehan's 
 wife, the Empress Montaz Mahal, the same to whose 
 memory her husband afterwards built the Taj Mahal, 
 the greatest and the most costly Mausoleum in the 
 world, was greatly displeased with the image-worship of 
 the Portuguese, who even to this day carry it on as bad 
 as the heathens ; for the Empress was a strict observer of 
 the Koran, and otherwise, in her fashion, pious and good. 
 When the Governor of Bengal reported to the Emperor and 
 complained that the Portuguese stole children and sent 
 them to other places as slaves, the Emperor, under the advice 
 of the Empress, sent him the curt answer, " Drive these 
 idolaters out of my Empire I" Accordingly the Mahomedan 
 Governor marched against the Portuguese, besieged them, 
 and after 3| months captured their fort on the Hooghly. The 
 Portuguese had some 60 ships there, almost all of which were 
 burnt. On the largest of these the Portuguese had laden 
 their treasure, and in it some 2,000 people took refuge. The 
 Captain of the ship, however, was like the others hard pressed, 
 and when he saw that escape was impossible, he blew the 
 ship into the air, with all its treasures, its living freight 
 and himself also. Thus in 1633 ended the power of the 
 Portuguese in the Hooghly. After some years it happened 
 that the subsequently celebrated daughter of the Great 
 Mogul, Jehanara approached too closely to a light and her 
 clothes caught fire. She was saved, but was so badly burnt 
 that the anxious father summoned all the most skilful 
 physicians in his Empire, and promised to the one who 
 should cure her the most splendid rewards. At this time the 
 English had a Settlement in Surat, and as their physician 
 enjoyed a good reputation for skill, he also was sent for. 
 The Governor of Surat at once despatched Dr. Gabriel 
 Broughton and he succeeded in curing the Princess. " Choose 
 your reward " exclaimed the thankful father to the Doctor, 
 
166 
 
 when he saw that his daughter was cured. Dr. Broughton, 
 however, asked for nothing for himself, but all the more for 
 a permission of free trade and a settlement for his com- 
 pany. The Emperor at once granted this request, and so in 
 1640, the English commenced to build on the Hooghly seven 
 years after the Portuguese had been driven out though not 
 through their agency. This was the origin of Calcutta. 
 Thither Kiernander went and soon collected a numerous 
 congregation consisting principally of the many European 
 half castes. Under peculiar circumstances he also gained a 
 considerable fortune which, however, he faithfully employed 
 to the advantage of the Mission. At his own cost he built 
 a Church which is said to have cost him 100,000 Rupees, and 
 he also built a Mission house, &c. His attention was, how- 
 ever, for a time too much engaged in earthly matters. At last 
 he lost all his fortune and died at the age of eighty-nine 
 (1799) in poverty, but thanking God that he was freed from 
 all the trammels of this world. His Church stands to this 
 day, and is still called Kiernander's Church. The late Chap- 
 lain, Mr. L. whom I lately met, informed me that he, together 
 with the Trustees, had made over the Church to the Church 
 Missionary Society, in order to remove it from the innova- 
 tions of the Ritualistic Bishop Milman of Calcutta, and to 
 preserve for it a simple Evangelical worship. He also told 
 me that Kiernander has descendants in Calcutta who are in 
 good circumstances. 
 
 After two years Htittemann returned to Cuddalore ; in 
 1767 he received an able and faithful assistant in Gericke, 
 and there followed some years of quiet work. But the 
 life among the Europeans was a very godless one as may 
 be gathered from some letters of Hiittemann's written to 
 the authorities of Cuddalore a year before his death. These 
 letters are preserved amongst the records at Cuddalore 
 where I was furnished with copies of them. I will quote 
 only a few passages. In October 1870, Huttemann writes 
 to Secretary Taliowfield : 
 
 " When I had the pleasure of seeing you last night, you 
 were pleased to tell me that the Commandant and Council 
 of this place desire me to officiate at the funerals of the 
 soldiers. I took the liberty to tell you, that if I received 
 no addition to my small pay of 5 Pagodas, I would consider 
 it beneath the dignity of my clerical office to have more 
 
167 
 
 burden put on me and this the more as it is well known 
 that the physician of the Hospital or the Commanding 
 Officer receives the pay thereto appointed, and it would be a 
 crying injustice to require of any man the service and allow 
 another one to put the pay for it into his pocket. And 
 besides this, the Burial Service is specially adapted for the 
 use of the living, but at the funerals of the soldiers there 
 is no one present, and the Clergyman must appear in the 
 ridiculous sight of a papistical sorcerer, who blasphemically 
 pretends to help by his acts the defunct into heaven. But 
 if a man has lived in sin, if he has by an ungodly life made 
 himself unworthy of happiness, then no prayers after death 
 will avail him anything. His case is sealed for all eternity, 
 even if the whole world could be given for the redemption 
 of his soul. As a Missionary I am not obliged to read the 
 English Liturgy and to preach. And if I were to bury 
 soldiers, how am I to get there ? (the distance was about 
 three miles) ; shall a man of my age walk a foofc and expose 
 his life and his health to the tropical sun without any reason 
 whatever ? And besides this to inhale the pestilential 
 effluvias of the dead bodies, which are mostly covered by 
 veneric ulcers and are carried about without a coffin, in 
 spite of the regulation that requires it only covered by a 
 miserable piece of cloth, a dreadful sight for a European. 
 After the Government has obtained such large territorial 
 possessions, it appears but their duty to support a proper 
 number of Chaplains, to teach the people the principles of 
 the Protestant religion arid of morality, without which no 
 Government can exist, but must at once sink down into a 
 hateful band of assassins and rogues, a band in which the 
 most crying injustices are committed; a band, which must 
 be considered as an open conspiracy against the God of 
 heaven and the Father of all men, to put down his rea- 
 sonable creatures into slavery and to the level of brute cattle 
 and hurtful pavians, &c., &c." 
 
 Of course, Huttemann received no redress from such 
 letters as the foregoing, but nevertheless, he expressed 
 himself willing to conduct the burials. But the eagles 
 of war soon collected to devour these carcases. The 
 French as well as Hyder Ali marched down from My- 
 sore^ devastated the country and besieged Cuddalore. 
 Famine and disease soon made their appearance, and in the 
 midst of these pressures Huttemann died. Soon after- 
 
168 
 
 wards Cuddalore fell into the hands of the French. Ge- 
 ricke writes thus : " An English prisoner of war is about 
 to be sent to France, and I seize the opportunity to inform 
 you in haste that since the 3rd of April Cuddalore has 
 been in the hands of the French. Since then it has pleased 
 God to make us still less than we were before. Only 
 two of the native school children remain, the rest are 
 all dead. An epidemic fever carried off one-third of our 
 congregation whilst I was lying, as I thought, on my 
 death-bed, suffering from the same disease. As soon as the 
 town was captured, our Church was converted into a Powder 
 Magazine ; we now hold our Tamil Service in the school and 
 the Portuguese one in my house, where I also continue to 
 hold English Service. Besides my own family there are 
 many English prisoners of war here who attend Service. 
 The houses in which the late Mr. Huttemann lived have 
 been occupied by the French, otherwise the officers have 
 been very friendly towards me. General Dulchemin re- 
 ceived me most kindly when I went to visit him in his 
 camp before the town was captured. Hyder Ali wished to 
 get the town as much as the Frenchmen did, and they say 
 that it is due to my intercession that we did not fall into 
 the hands of that tyrant. The French have always received 
 my requests for others favorably, especially in behalf of 
 English captives, and have helped where it was possible to 
 do so. Admiral Suffrein sent me a very kind answer to my 
 letter, and the Governor in Cuddalore seems to be alwa3 r s 
 glad when he can meet my wishes. At the same time we 
 are in a very disagreeable position. Prices are rising, and 
 the whole country has been turned into a wilderness, at 
 least three-fourths of the inhabitants have fallen by sword, 
 hunger, and disease ! I have heard nothing of my brethren 
 and friends in Madras and very little from Tranquebar. 
 The distress is so great everywhere that it seems best to 
 continue my work here ; God has guarded us wonderfully 
 hitherto and will do so in the time to come. The time is 
 one of suffering." 
 
 Gericke, however, was not able to remain in Cuddalore, 
 but went from place to place for some time. He remained 
 chiefly in Negapatam and at last came to Madras in 1788 
 in order to relieve Fabricius. Cuddalore was looked after by 
 a native Catechist and occasionally visited by Gericke, until 
 at the commencement of this century, Missionary Holzberg 
 was sent there, who remained in Cuddalore until his death 
 
169 
 
 in 1824. Missionary Rosen succeeded him until 1829, and 
 after him Cuddalore was supplied with English Missionaries. 
 
 The old Mission at Cuddalore did not prosper better in 
 English than in German hands, and had not the German Mis- 
 sionaries bequeathed to the Mission a property of rice fields, 
 palm trees and buildings, it would have been long ago given 
 up. As it is, however, the various sources of income of the 
 Mission are amply sufficient to meet the expenses of the 
 small station with its 160 souls, especially as it is only 
 presided over by an ordained native. 
 
 As in most of the other Missionary Settlements of our 
 forefathers, the Mission in Cuddalore was again revived in 
 our time. The older of the native Christians remembered 
 the German Missionaries and loved the quiet and familiar 
 way in which they held intercourse with the people. 
 
 In the years 1853-54 several of the old Christians who 
 had come originally from Tranquebar turned to us, and 
 were received by the Rev. Kremmer on a journey from 
 Madras to Tranquebar ; and in the village of Tuknambakam 
 several heathens received instruction and baptism from the 
 same Missionary. At the commencement of 1856 Cudda- 
 lore was formed into an independant station and named 
 Sadras Cuddalore. In Sadras a number of Christians had 
 been collected from among the heathens and the Papists, and 
 in 1854, the Rev. E. R. Baierlein had taken up his resi- 
 dence in that dreary place. Whilst he was studying the 
 language, he also built a little Church, since the Christians 
 whose number was increasing could only assemble in the 
 verandah of his house for Divine Worship. The Church was 
 built out of the old bricks of the house of the former Dutch 
 Governor, and the site was given to the Missionary by an 
 English official personally unknown to him. In July 1855, 
 the Church was co/isecrated, and Mr. Baierlein preached his 
 first Tamil sermon in the Church he had built. 
 
 The new Church had not cost much money, but it had 
 cost the Missionary his health, for he had worked at the 
 language and the building harder than a tropical climate 
 permits. The seed of disease had been sown, and on a 
 journey through a hot jungle he was attacked with sun- 
 stroke, so that he barely escaped with life. Instead of 
 
 22 
 
170 
 
 being able to take charge of his new station, Cuddalore at 
 the beginning of the year, he was obliged, accompanied by 
 another Missionary, to travel to the Neilgherries and was 
 not able to return to his post before the end of the year, 
 nor to take up his residence in Cuddalore before March i857. 
 
 ' The beginning of all things is difficult/ says a German 
 proverb, and this was the case in Cuddalore. The reception 
 by the Collector, the Regent of the district was stiff and 
 formal ; for he did not care to have Missionaries in his 
 District, much less in his vicinity. The English Chaplain, 
 however, said candidly to the Missionary, " I don't know 
 whether I can extend to you the right hand of fellowship ; 
 for you have probably come to overturn our (English) 
 Mission." What answer could be given ? Mr. Baierlein 
 expressed his pleasure at this candour and said, " allow me to 
 give you the same answer, as under similar circumstances, 
 I was in the habit of giving to the wild Indians of North 
 America." " Which was ?" he asked " It was this : wait 
 and see !" This answer rather took the old gentleman aback, 
 but he was obliged to take the advice, and subsequently 
 became a good friend of the Missionary. 
 
 In order even to avoid the appearance of angling after 
 the small remnant of the old, now English, Mission, the 
 Missionary rented a house in the new town, three English 
 miles distant from the old town, and went quietly to work. 
 The times, however, were by no means quiet ones ; for one 
 evening the Magistrate sent him a sword, a pistol, and a 
 rifle with bayonet and cartouche box full of ammunition. 
 These were strange weapons for a Missionary. But it was in 
 the year 1857, when the rebels of North India were taking 
 town after town, and were cruelly murdering European 
 communities one after another ; men, women and children, 
 for they aimed at exterminating all Europeans in India. 
 The rebellion, however, did not extend so far south and the 
 weapons were not used. 
 
 The Magistrate was also desirous that the Missionary 
 should not make use of his other weapons; his spiritual 
 ones, for as he saw that the Missionary was frequently 
 preaching here and there, he let him know in a friendly 
 manner that in these unquiet times he should be especially 
 careful not to give the people a cause for uneasiness. Nor 
 
171 
 
 did the Missionary act contrary to his wishes ; but when 
 the country again became quiet, he travelled from one end 
 of the large district to the other and preached everywhere 
 the name of the Lord Jesus; especially he was fond of 
 preaching in front of the temples, and often to large 
 crowds, of the living God who cannot be shut in temples 
 nor can be served by oiling of idolatrous stones. 
 
 By the grace of God the flock soon increased, and with it 
 the school, so that it became necessary to obtain a piece of 
 ground. Though it was possible to provide for the school 
 there was still no suitable place for worship, nor was there 
 a spot where the dead could be buried. The Catechist 
 buried them secret^, before dawn, in an old Military Church- 
 yard. This, however, could not go on in this way. The 
 Missionary tried on all sides to find a piece of suitable 
 ground, but heathens and Papists were against him, and 
 would not allow him to purchase a small piece even at a 
 large price, supposing he had had it to give them ; and the 
 English though not opposed were not anxious to help him. 
 Wherever he looked it was in vain. At last weary of seek- 
 ing, and despairing of finding, he came one day to Sainan- 
 dalam a suburb of Cuddalore, which is mentioned by Zie- 
 genbalg in his reports, and there found a piece of jungle, 
 full of thorns and thick bushes. For this piece of ground 
 he applied to the authorities and obtained it. He at once 
 commenced to fell the wood and to build some mud walls 
 for a dwelling. A thatched roof was soon put on and during 
 Easter of 1859 he occupied his new house, and at Christmas 
 of the same year he was able to consecrate his stone built 
 Church, built beneath the old banian trees where Ziegenbalg 
 had preached. For a change had come over the scene. The 
 English at first mistrustful had become friendly, and when 
 for six months they had no Chaplain, they requested the 
 Missionary to hold service for them on Sunday evenings. 
 This was done, and in gratitude for this service they helped 
 him to build his Church. Two years before, it was with the 
 greatest difficulty that he had been able to hire a house, and 
 even when a house stood empty it was refused to him. To 
 the living no shelter was allowed, and to the dead no resting 
 place. So narrow is this wide world sometimes. But now 
 within two years he had a house and Church and space 
 enough to spread further. Thus the Lord helped, arid in 
 the course of time he helped still further; the mud hut 
 
172 
 
 grew into a substantial firm dwelling, and the Church 
 received a steeple with a bell and a harmonium. 
 
 The living stones also were not wanting, and together 
 with the heathens, Papists also came and allowed them- 
 selves to be taught and received in our Church. The 
 latter have to be instructed exactly the same as heathens, 
 and it is often impossible to avoid accepting them as they live 
 in the midst of our Christians, and if we did not, nobody else 
 would trouble himself about them. They are in the habit 
 of going to their distant Church only once in the year, and 
 many of them had not gone for many years. Their instruc- 
 tion and reception is, therefore, a sort of kindness. It, how- 
 ever, seldom meets with a reward and Catechumens from the 
 heathens afford generally more pleasure than those from 
 Roman Catholicism. Their ignorance is just as great and 
 their superstition finds plenty of nourishment in the out- 
 ward pomp and show of the Popish Church. But still the 
 truth of the Gospel, which they often hear with great joy 
 and receive with apparent willingness, will not be entirely 
 lost on them. 
 
 Outside Cuddalore and in a region where it had been least 
 of all expected, the Lord opened a door. From the district 
 round the large pagoda town of Chellumbram the heathens 
 came singly and in groups of 40 and 50 to be instructed 
 and baptized. This work was a joyful one, for as they 
 were willing hearers of the Word, it often fell upon good 
 ground and took root. In course of time they came from 
 thirty villages. Mission work, however, is a work of fighting 
 and struggling, when the Catechumens returned to their 
 villages as Christians they had many things to suffer. The 
 heathens mocked and hated and oppressed them, and they 
 had many wants which they had not before. Especially 
 they wanted a burial ground, for our Christians attach 
 much importance to a decent burial, and it is a com- 
 mendable feeling which should not be suppressed. Then 
 they also wanted ground on which to build a school and 
 here and there a mud church, for buildings cannot be 
 erected in the air. The heathens, however, were resolved 
 not to let us get a firm footing anywhere. In one village 
 they boasted loudly, that even if seven Collectors should 
 come there, they would not let us have a hand's breadth 
 of land, and they had some reason for this, for the whole 
 of the country consisted of rice fields and there was but 
 
173 
 
 little dry land suitable for building available and it was also 
 extremely unlikely that a Collector would ever come 
 into this remote region. The Missionary, however, had 
 promised his Christians a visit, and as there was nowhere 
 any shelter for him, they erected a hut of leaves. The Muri- 
 sif was a very proud man, being descended from a high but 
 impoverished family; indeed the Christians begged the 
 Missionary not to go there as they feared that the proud 
 heathens would send him away mocked and laughed at. 
 Thus warned, he prayed for help from above and his 
 prayer was answered. The village is some 36 miles or 
 more distant from Cuddalore. During the night he travel- 
 led 26 miles in his bullock coach, as far as Chellurnbram, 
 spoke to his Christians there and then started before dawn 
 with a Christian as guide ; he rode 10 miles before sunrise, 
 and when it arose had reached the village. Arrived there 
 he sent a message to the haughty Munsif that he would be 
 glad to speak to him. He allowed himself to be waited 
 for, and then sent the village writer and the village Curnam 
 in front of him. At last he himself arrived walking as 
 slowly and majestically as a North American Indian chief. 
 The Missionary commenced an earnest but friendly conversa- 
 tion and remained in the village 4 hours, and by the time 
 the sun had got hot, and the Missionary had to start to 
 ride 6 miles to the nearest shelter, the old gentleman had 
 become so friendly that he accompanied him for more than 
 a mile, caused him to be carried by his people through a 
 deep channel, whilst he waded through by his side and at 
 last only returned after repeated solicitations. He is re- 
 ported to have said to the villagers that he would not move 
 another finger against the Missionary, and he kept his word. 
 The Missionary received two pieces of ground instead of 
 one and built his Church of mud in peace. In this manner 
 the Lord gave us many a conquest in that district. In 
 1866 Chellumbram and the neighbourhood with 500 Chris- 
 tians was converted into an independent station and entrust- 
 ed to the Rev. Wolff who now resides there. Sadras had 
 also been previously detached from Cuddalore, and again 
 added to Madras, since from thence it can be reached by 
 Canal in a night whereas it is a 4 days' journey from 
 Cuddalore. 
 
 Cuddalore, therefore, again became a small station with 
 only about 200 Christians. Since then fresh doors have 
 
174 
 
 been opened 40 miles to the north and 17 miles to the 
 south, so that the number of Christians who belong to Cud- 
 dalore has again risen to 400. The Church Register opened 
 by the Missionary in 1857 showed, until the end of 1870, 
 988 of whom 700 were baptized from the heathens, about 
 200 Papists, who came for instruction and were admitted, 
 the remainder being baptisms' of Christian children. The 
 care and the trouble spent in the erection of this new station 
 has not, therefore, been spent in vain, for in less than 13 
 years nine hundred heathens and Papists have been collected 
 together. Though, in proportion to our wishes, this is only 
 a small number, still it is large when compared with the 
 general results of these last sorrowful times. Mission work is 
 a work for eternity. It is true that godliness has the pro- 
 mise of this life and of that hereafter; it is true that the 
 outward temporal life of the Christians is very different to 
 that of those who live without God ; it is true that joy in 
 the Lord is the strengthening of life here, and the consola- 
 tion of everlasting life does not suffer even the most bitter 
 sorrow of earth to penetrate to the inmost depth of the 
 soul; true it also is that a man who. has seen Naples may 
 yet in spite of Goethe's dictum, be unhappy. But a Christian 
 who has known the Lord and has Him in his heart never 
 can be. Still the joy in the Lord here, and bliss in Him is 
 something small and insignificant ; there, in the light 
 of the eternal sun, of the Lord himself, there only will it be 
 clear and visible, how much, how inexpressibly much has 
 been won by the salvation of one single soul. And if the 
 angels in heaven, who live in eternal joy, are yet able to 
 rejoice over one sinner that repenteth, how much more shall 
 we be able to rejoice over the hundreds who have turned 
 from darkness to light, from their dead idols to the living 
 God ! May the blessing of the Lord rest upon, and His 
 saving love preserve our station of Cuddalore now and in 
 the future, and whoever loves Him let him answer Amen. 
 
 Trichinopoly. 
 
 Trichinopoly is situated ir a dry region though not far 
 distant from the Cauvery. It receives on the average 10 
 inches less rain during the year than Madras, and during 
 the hot months the heat is on the average 4 degrees (Fahren- 
 heit) greater. In the cooler seasons, however, the nights are 
 much colder than at Madras or indeed anywhere on the 
 
175 
 
 coast. In the middle of the town is a rock rising some 
 330 feet above it, from which there is an extensive view 
 over the whole country. Of course, as it is in the land of 
 the Tarnulians, a pagoda is built on the top of the rock, 
 another larger one is situated half-way up, and at the foot 
 of the rock there is a fine large tank provided on all sides 
 with granite steps. The whole has a very pleasant appear- 
 ance, and the houses of East Indians form the ia9ade 
 of the square. These houses, however., are uncomfortably 
 hot, for the rock warmed by the rays of the sun reflects 
 considerable heat. Some years ago so great a crowd of 
 worshippers attended the feast of Ganesa, whose temple is 
 on the top of the rock, that a serious accident occurred. 
 Thousands of persons were thronging up the steep granite 
 steps, when for some unaccountable reason a panic occurred 
 amongst those who were on the top. They rushed back, 
 and in their turn forced back others, and before those at 
 the bottom of the rock could learn what had occurred, 500 
 persons had been trampled to death, and since then the 
 Police keep the crowds in order. Trichinopoly has a cen- 
 tral situation and in it meet all the roads from north, 
 south, east and west; the trade carried on is, therefore, 
 considerable. It is no wonder then that in the struggles 
 between the French and the English for the sovereignty of 
 Southern India, Trichinopoly soon became a central point. 
 At first it belonged to the King of Tanjore, but it was wrested 
 from him during the first half of the 15th century by 
 Visavanada Naick, the King of Madura and converted into 
 a fortress, which subsequently caused the destruction of the 
 kingdom of Tanjore. The Madura Kings, however, did not 
 hold it long but soon lost it to the Mahomedans, and the 
 cause, strange to say, seems to have been a slipper. As an 
 emblem of his authority the Mahomedan Governor of Arcot 
 was in the habit periodically of sending round to the tribu- 
 tary States a slipper, supposed to belong to the Padishah, 
 or great Mogul, and to which, carried in State upon an 
 elephant, every tributary Prince was expected to do homage, 
 to meet the slipper on the borders of his territory; and 
 to conduct it in State to his capital. This slipper was sent 
 to the Rajah at Trichinopoly, Ranga Kistna Naicker. He 
 seems, however, to have been too proud to perform the 
 required homage and not strong enough to resist it, and, there- 
 fore, like an Indian he had recourse to stratagem. By 
 excuse of illness, he failed to meet the slipper on the borders 
 
176 
 
 of his kingdom, and by continued excuses and promises 
 eventually got the ambassadors and the slipper into his 
 Palace. Arrived there the Padishah's envoys expected that 
 their slipper would be worshipped, but the courageous 
 Tamil King requested them to place it on the floor. They, 
 unaccustomed to such usage, declined. " What ! said the 
 King, bring sticks and tell them to place the slipper on the 
 floor, and then we will see." Frightened, the ambassadors 
 obeyed, upon which the King put his foot into the slipper 
 and then exclaimed : what does, your King mean by send- 
 ing only one slipper; does he think that we have only one 
 leg ? Go back to your country and fetch the other slip- 
 per ! whereupon the ambassadors were beaten and sent 
 away in disgrace. The King who thus dared to set the 
 Mahomedans at defiance died in 1707. The sovereignty of 
 the Padishah, as the manuscript terms him, had probably 
 been imposed before and the incident thus related probably 
 refers to the shaking off of the hated yoke by a Prince 
 more powerful than his predecessors. After the death of 
 this King the Mahomedans again invested Trichinopoly for 
 which they would seem to have had a great affection, since 
 a large number of them settled down in it and have imparted 
 to the town more of a Mussulman than a Hindoo appear- 
 ance. But even whilst the town and neighbourhood 
 belonged to and was occupied by a Nabob, there was an 
 English garrison there, where it has continued to the pre- 
 sent day. 
 
 In the year 1760 a movement took place in Trichinopoly 
 originated by a native soldier named Setianaden, who had 
 been converted by the writings of the Tranquebar Mis- 
 sionaries. In consequence of this movement, in the follow- 
 ing year, first Missionary Dame travelled there from Tran- 
 quebar, visiting on the way the small congregation which 
 had been collected at Tanjore by the German Captain Berg 
 and ministering to them with Word and Sacrament. In 
 the same way, in May 1762, Chr. Fr. Schwatz went to 
 Trichinopoly accompanied by Missionary Klein, and as they 
 found more work than they had expected, Schwatz remained 
 there, Klein returning to Tranquebar alone. Schwatz had 
 already served for eleven years in Tranquebar where he had 
 become the favorite of every one. His quiet, cheerful dis- 
 position and his gift of always speaking the truth in love, 
 proved of good service to him in Trichinopoly, and he soon 
 
177 
 
 had not only a small Tamil and Portuguese community, but 
 had also to preach to the English garrison. The brethren 
 in Tranquebar had given their consent to Schwartz remain- 
 ing in Trichinopoly, for there were then five other Mis- 
 sionaries in Tranquebar. Even the Danish Mission College 
 subsequently gave their consent, and continued to pay to 
 Schwartz his salary, although he also received a stipend 
 from the English Society for his services in Trichinopory. 
 And as the English never like to be served for nothing, he 
 also received a third stipend as garrison preacher. But the 
 more he received, the less he spent upon himself, for he was 
 and remained unmarried and was contented with little. 
 The Danish Mission College not only loved him, but also- 
 praised him highly almost because for some time he had sent 
 no reports. 
 
 Schwartz, therefore, was Missionary at Trichinopoly and 
 soon built a Church towards which the English residents 
 contributed about 7,000 Rupees. Here he preached on 
 Sundays from 8 to 10 in Tamil, from 10 to 12 in English 
 and in the afternoon in Portuguese. In addition he also 
 made frequent journeys to Tanjore and wherever his calling 
 summoned him. In 1777, Schwartz handed over the station 
 of Trichinopoly with 400 Christians to Missionary Pohle, 
 who like Schwartz had come with the consent of the Mis- 
 sionaries from Tranquebar to Trichinopoty. But what had 
 been praised in Schwartz was strongly censured in Pohle, 
 and he was ordered at once to leave Trichinopoly and return 
 to Tranquebar, or else to return the cost of his outfit and 
 passage. At that time there were six Missionaries, so that 
 there was probably rather a want of work than of workmen. 
 In addition Schwartz had already left Trichinopoly and had 
 settled down in Tanjore. What then was the humble and 
 pious Pohle with the 400 Christians he had received from 
 Schwartz to do ? Rather than forsake them, he resolved to 
 return his outfit and passage money, and so he remained afc 
 his post for 40 years until the Lord called him not to Tran- 
 quebar, but to his eternal home. 
 
 After Pohle's death in 1818 the flock in Trichinopoly was 
 but meagrely attended until in 1826 it came into Schrey- 
 vogel's hands. Schreyvogel had come to Tranquebar as 
 Catechist in 1804 and after nine years' service had been 
 ordained. After his ordination he continued to labor there 
 for 13 years until he came to Trichinopoly. Then, however, 
 
 23 
 
178 
 
 the English Bishop and the newly arising English Mis- 
 sionary movement so influenced him that he accepted an 
 Episcopal re-ordination, and went over entirely to the English 
 Church. Of course he took his congregation with him. 
 After his death in 1840 the congregation passed entirely 
 over to the English, in whose hands, the longer it has 
 remained, the less at home it has felt. 
 
 Ten years afterwards when our Mission in Tranquebar 
 began to revive, many of these Christians began to long for 
 their mother Church. It devolved upon our present Mis- 
 sionary J. M. N. Schwartz, the namesake of Chr. Fr. Schwartz 
 to bring back into their Church many of these erring sheep. 
 Of course at this there was a great outcry in the enemy's 
 camp. Their mode of proceeding was, however, a peculiar 
 one. To take over congregations and considerable Church 
 property, collected by our German Missionaries after infi- 
 nite labor and time, was to them right and proper enough ; 
 but that some few of these Christians should wish to return 
 to their mother Church was unintelligible ; it excited their 
 displeasure, and so violent did they become that they made 
 themselves heard in other quarters of the globe. Of course 
 they made no mention of the Church property which they 
 retained. It seems almost to be considered a crime to 
 return to the Lutheran Church, or even to remain faithful 
 to her to the end ; but nevertheless what Pastor L. of the 
 United Church in Silesia told me 25 years ago is true : 
 " This is certain : the man who is logical in his Christianity 
 must become a Lutheran !" 
 
 Trichinopoly has, therefore, again become a Lutheran Mis- 
 sion station though the town has not much to do with us, 
 and contains but few of our Christians. On the other hand 
 in the two districts into which the station is divided there 
 live in 35 villages about 1,000 Christians of the Lutheran 
 confession. Missionary Handmann was, until a short time 
 ago, the Missionary at Trichinopoly. As assistants he had 
 a native Pastor, twelve Catechists, ten Teachers and four 
 other Mission servants. It may, therefore, be expected that 
 the seed is plentifully sown among the heathens of the 
 district, and may the Lord pour His rich blessing upon it ! 
 As there are Christians in so many places and as in each 
 there are many congregated together, they have themselves 
 the best opportunity of becoming to their heathen neigh- 
 bours a light and the salt of the earth, It is, however, 
 
179 
 
 often very difficult to convince Tamil Christians that they 
 themselves are under the greatest responsibility to the 
 heathens around them, with whom they come in daily con- 
 tact, and to whom they have so many opportunities of 
 showing Christ by word and by deed. The Hindoos are in a 
 perpetual state of stagnation, and though by means of 
 Christianity individuals may be brought to life and action, 
 yet they are apt to fall into a kind of Christianity according 
 to custom ; and at all events it is not less necessary with 
 them than with others, to be continually urging them on 
 to prayer and to their religious duties lest they should fall 
 into slumber. Elsewhere it is perhaps not much better, 
 but the heat of the tropics makes the universal evil of 
 laziness still worse. The heathens of the Trichinopoly 
 district seem besides to be as hard as the greater part of 
 their soil is. May the merciful God pour out a rain upon 
 this and other hardened heart soils ! Missionary Hand- 
 mann has commenced to build a Church aided by some of 
 the officials and Officers who are not opposed to our 
 Mission. May his successor (Missionary Kahl) soon suc- 
 ceed in finishing it and in filling it with honest citizens of 
 Trichinopoly, citizens who, though their skins may be 
 brown, have had their garments washed and made pure in 
 the blood of the Lamb. 
 
 Since the above was written Missionary Kahl, one of our most 
 promising young Missionaries, has received higher promotion than 
 the mere independent charge of a Missionary station. He has been 
 
 Eromoted to a better country where he has entered into the joy of 
 is Lord, and has joined in His presence the faithful band of Mis- 
 sionaries who are singing the praises of the Lamb whose servants 
 they were on earth. 
 
 Tanjore. 
 
 The kingdom of Tanjore is the heart and the noblest part 
 of the whole of the land of the Tamulians. It embraces the 
 Delta of the Cauvery : i. e., the district where the Cauvery 
 divides into many streams and overflows the country. In 
 this well-watered region the streams of people from the 
 north soon found it pleasant to dwell. Even before the 
 Christian era this seems to have been a well regulated 
 country, and though the people of Southern India are very 
 different from those of the north they do not, even in those 
 days, seem to have been far behind them in civilization. 
 The kingdom of Tanjore has probably always only been a 
 
180 
 
 kingdom although it extended some considerable 
 distance to the north ; but in the earliest times it recog- 
 nized the advantages of its situation and knew how to 
 profit by them. The question was how to raise the mighty 
 mass of water from the bed of the river into channels on a 
 higher level, and so distribute the water to the level fields 
 on all sides. This has been done in days to which no date 
 can be fixed, by a giant-work, by a dam built across the 
 Cauvery out of hewn stone brought from a long distance. 
 
 This dam is over 1,000 feet long and 60 feet broad, is 
 furnished with many sluices, and no one knows its nge. 
 The English have repaired and greatly strengthened it, they 
 have also built a bridge over it and otherwise improved 
 it. By means of this dam which for centuries has been 
 able to bear up against the enormous floods which in the 
 rainy season, come down the river, the water is raised so 
 high that it can be carried to the most distant fields. This 
 giant-work is assisted here and there by many smaller dams 
 so that the water is always again and again dammed up. 
 In this way a regular net work of channels is formed, and 
 more than 2,000 bridges are necessary to keep the communi- 
 cation open. By these means above 670,000 acres of land 
 are irrigated, and the amount of water required to keep up 
 the necessary supply, especially at the commencement of 
 the season, before the seed has grown so as to afford shade, 
 and when the hot sun draws up in evaporation large quanti- 
 ties of the water spread over the fields, is about 2,200,000 
 cubic yards in every hour ! Afterwards when the rice has 
 grown to some height and casts a shade over the ground, 
 less is required, and shortly before the harvest, none at all. 
 On an average 26 million cubic yards of water are required 
 every day for these fields, and from the time of sowing to 
 the time of harvest, not less than 6,500 millions. There is, 
 however, not merely one crop raised in the year, but on 
 many fields two and sometimes three, each of which 
 requires the same amount of water. What enormous struc- 
 tures, and what an amount of science is required to 
 conduct these almost incredible masses of water so that 
 each of the hundred thousands of fields has a sufficient 
 supply ; and not too much ! For the seed dies from an 
 over supply of water, equally as it does from a defi- 
 ciency. Arrangements are, therefore, made not only to 
 lead the water to the fields, but also to lead it off again in 
 
181 
 
 other low lying channels when there is too much. From 
 this water, or rather from the fields which are covered with 
 this water and produce rice, the Government receive a 
 revenue of Us. 3,920,032. In addition to this the Govern- 
 ment receive from salt, spirits and other sources of revenue 
 more than another million. The entire population of Tanjore 
 is not quite two millions. 
 
 At the same time the kingdom, or as it is now termed 
 the district of Tanjore, is much more lightly taxed than it 
 was before. The Government lose annually in ground-rent 
 about 700,000 Rupees which properly belong to it. The 
 people, however, do not benefit by this, but a kind of middle 
 men named Mirassidars. These are a species of landed 
 proprietors who do not cultivate the land themselves, but 
 rent it to the farmers. Into their pockets goes the surplus 
 amount and they are the only persons who benefit by the 
 light assessment. The farmers themselves have to pay 
 very high taxes indeed to these go-betweens. As the latter 
 have no other employment, and as idleness is the com- 
 mencement of all vice, they are rich not only in money but 
 also in crimes, and litigiousness is carried to such an excess 
 among them that two District Courts of Sessions are required 
 in Tanjore, whereas all other districts have only one. 
 
 It is considered ' good tone' amongst these people to have 
 several law suits at once which have lasted, perhaps, for 
 years. They secure English lawyers from Madras to whom 
 they generally have to pay 2 3,000 Rupees only to get 
 them to come. Travelling expenses and each day of deten- 
 tion forms an additional charge. Sometimes such a lawyer 
 does riot speak more than 100 words for his 2 3,000 Rupees, 
 but it is a point of honor with these natives to get an 
 English Lawyer. The Judges, in spite of their high pay 
 Rupees 28,000 annually, are greatly plagued individuals for 
 not only are the witnesses whom they have to hear, and 
 whose depositions they have to write down in their own 
 handwriting, generally purchased on either side, and per- 
 jured ; but also the documents brought forward to support 
 the perjured witness are in a great many cases forgeries. 
 As long as this refers only to property and estate it can, 
 perhaps, be borne, but when, as is often the case in every 
 month the matter is one of life arid body, and when upon 
 such doubtful evidence a man may have to be sent to prison 
 for many years, may have to be sentenced to penal servi- 
 
182 
 
 tude on the Andaman Islands for life, or may have to be 
 doomed to the gallows ; then the matter becomes a difficult 
 one. Many of the Judges spend a sleepless night after 
 having passed a sentence of death. In no country is it an 
 easy thing to sentence two, three, and sometimes four or five 
 or more persons to death, and so cut off their opportunities 
 for repentance ; but in India where some men become so 
 nervous that they do not like to kill a mosquito that has 
 stung them till the blood comes, the task is even a more 
 difficult one. I know strong and healthy men, who, when 
 passing sentence of death turn pale, and when it has been 
 passed tremble in every limb. 
 
 Tanjore (literally Tandjavoor) is a regularly built and 
 cleanly kept town, and contrasts favorably with the majority 
 of Tamil towns. The suburbs are not so good in propor- 
 tion. The town was once very strongly fortified, and deep 
 moats and high walls are still to be seen, though in a state 
 of decay. The royal palace is a very large building with 
 many large open Courts and with so many passages, that, 
 without a guide one might well be lost. Some of the wives 
 of the last King still live in it but otherwise it is unin- 
 habited, and creates a wierd and melancholy impression 
 although it has been lately repaired. In one of the halls 
 the Judge who was my companion ordered the gold 
 embroidered cloths and the jewel-set-arms of the last King 
 to be shown to me. The greater part of the Crown jewels 
 have, of course, been taken possession of by the Government, 
 but the Judge showed me several large chests filled with 
 jewels worth many hundred thousand Rupees, which are 
 the private property of the still living Royal wives. It is 
 their private property but the keys of the boxes are in 
 other hands ! and this alas ! cannot be otherwise. A whole 
 suite of rooms were walled up, and I enquired if they were 
 in a ruinous condition. Oh, no ! answered the Judge, but no 
 one has entered them since the last century. And why ? I 
 asked. When the town was captured the last time, the 
 King did not wish that his wives should fall into the hands 
 of his enemies, and those are the rooms in which he caused 
 them all to be put to death. I asked no more questions. 
 
 The celebrated Pagoda situated by the side of the town, 
 was also fortified. Near this Pagoda Schwartz built his first 
 Church for English and Tamulians, and was not frightened 
 of the noise or the hatred of the heathens. And he does 
 
183 
 
 not appear to have suffered from it, perhaps because it did 
 not frighten him. This Church still stands and contains 
 the celebrated monument (sculptured by Flaxman) which 
 the father of the last King of Tanjore caused to be erected 
 to the memory of Schwartz. Above the Altar is a large 
 wooden tablet on which the Ten Commandments, the Creed 
 and the Lord's Prayer are inscribed. The Church, however, 
 is but seldom used now, for the congregation lives not in 
 the town, but in the suburb, where Schwartz had already 
 built a small Church for them, and near which he himself 
 lived and died. 
 
 Chr. Fr. Schwartz is the founder of the Mission at Tanjore, 
 as well as at Trichinopoly. In the year 1778 he came to 
 Tanjore from Trichinopoly and remained there until his 
 death. He lived and labored in Tanjore for nearly 20 
 years, although before he took up his residence here, he had 
 already spent 28 years in India. There were, however, a 
 good many Christians in Tanjore before Schwartz settled 
 there, and he often visited them from Trichinopoly. Even 
 before he had come to Trichinopoly there had been Chris- 
 tians in Tanjore, who for the most part had been collected by 
 other Lutheran Christians from among the heathens and the 
 Papists, for the Missionaries of Tranquebar were for a long 
 time not permitted to come to Tanjore. 
 
 It seems to be God's peculiar pleasure to make use of 
 insignificant instruments and to commence the extension 
 of His Kingdom in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. The 
 outward signs of power and influence in this world, not 
 onty do not further the still-working of the Spirit of God, 
 but only too often stand in its way. In this way it was by 
 means of a despised pariah, a subordinate officer in the army 
 of the King of Tanjore that God chose to commence and to 
 enlarge his work. This man was called Rajariaicken, and 
 was by birth a Roman Catholic. He was very fond of 
 reading and read all the palm leaves (for books were but 
 rarities in those days) which the Catechists could give 
 him. These palm leaves, however, contained for the most 
 part legends of the Saints and of the miracles of Mary, all 
 of which left Rajanaicken unmoved. But when he read 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ and how he suffered and died for 
 us, his young heart was fired, and he longed to read more. 
 His craving remained long unsatisfied until at last a Roman 
 begging Friar brought a little book without a title which 
 
184 
 
 contained the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. 
 This book had been given to the Friar by Benjamin Schultze 
 at Tranquebar, and he had torn out the title page so that 
 he should not be punished by his priests. Rajanaicken 
 begged the Friar to give him this book, which he did, but 
 with the caution that he should not show it to the priest. 
 Rajanaicken read the little book with such delight, that 
 he soon began to copy it, for fear it should be taken away 
 from him. In this way he copied two of the Gospels 
 on palm leaves until he became certain that the book would 
 not be taken from him. What he read, as he himself said, 
 poured oil upon his lamp of faith, so that the flame burnt 
 high. From time to time he received other little books 
 from Tranquebar, and at last joined the Missionaries 
 altogether. He did not, however, come alone but brought 
 with him two soldiers to receive fuller instruction and 
 to be baptized. When Rajanaicken had reached from a 
 knowledge of the Saints to a knowledge of the Saviour, 
 he could not rest but felt himself compelled to publish 
 to all the world where only the source of salvation and 
 life, of peace and of joy was to be found. For this 
 prophet's labor he, of course, received a prophet's reward, 
 he was bitterly hated and persecuted, and especially by 
 his former comrades in religion, who in spite of the many 
 proofs of the good influence of his teaching, continued to 
 prefer the Romish twilight to the bright light of the Gospel, 
 and the heathen ceremonial service to the worship of God 
 in spirit and in truth. Rajanaicken, however, rested 
 content with the grace of God, he forsook the service of 
 the King of Tanjore, and entered the service of the King of 
 Heaven, whom he served as a Catechist with singular fidelity 
 for upwards of 40 years, although in his last years subject 
 to many weaknesses. In the year 1771 he fell asleep with 
 the words of Stephen, " Lord Jesus receive my spirit," and 
 entered into the joy of his Lord. 
 
 There was a Prince in Tanjore named Telungarajah who 
 was favorably inclined towards Christianity, and with 
 whom Missionary Schultze had already entered into corres- 
 pondence. When Schultze was no longer in Tranquebar, 
 this Prince invited Missionary Presier to visit him in 
 Tanjore, and sent a carriage to bring him. Thus the first 
 Lutheran Missionary came to Tanjore and preached the 
 Gospel. The time of Tanjore, however, had not yet come, and 
 the enmity of the heathens and mahoinedans was too great. 
 
185 
 
 In Schwartz's days things had changed. The King sent 
 for him, and conversed with him for a long time. He put 
 several questions to him regarding Christianity and permitted 
 him to explain to him the whole plan of God's salvation 
 for man. " How is it," asked the King, " that some Euro- 
 peans will not worship images, whilst others, like the French 
 and Portuguese do worship them ?" " The worship of 
 images is distinctly forbidden in the Bible," answered 
 Schwartz, " but because the word of God is kept back from 
 the people they fall into error and into idolatry." " How 
 can they arrive at a knowledge of God," asked the King, 
 and Schwartz answered : " God in His great mercy has 
 revealed himself to men in a two-fold manner. First, 
 through the works of the creation ; the heavens, the earth, 
 sun, moon, &c., by which He displays His great power, 
 wisdom and goodness so that all these works are for 
 our instruction. God reveals Himself daily to us in His 
 care ; everything that we eat and drink warns us to recog- 
 nize Him and to worship Him in gratitude. The second 
 means, that He has given us, by which to arrive at a 
 knowledge of Him is His word. From this we are 
 enabled to see with certainty what is necessary for our 
 salvation, which we could not understand from a mere 
 contemplation of the creation." Schwartz then asked for 
 permission to explain the most important doctrines of 
 the word of God, and on this being received he continued : 
 "The chief doctrine is with reference to God and His 
 honor. The word of God teaches that God is a spirit of 
 infinite wisdom but without a corporeal form or material 
 body, such as we have. It is, therefore, derogatory to His 
 honor when men attempt to represent Him by an image. 
 The word of God teaches us further that God is omniscient, 
 holy, just, merciful and omnipresent. Judge for yourself 
 whether it is possible to make an image to resemble Him ! 
 Is a figure of wood and stone which has neither holiness 
 nor the power of doing anything a fitting representation 
 of the all-powerful, holy and omniscient God ? Is not the 
 true God dishonored by such, and a knowledge of Him 
 rendered difficult." After dwelling further upon this head 
 Schwartz began to speak of the second point, of man's 
 evil nature. He said, "a soul which fears God above all 
 things, loves Him and trusts in Him, whose thoughts, wishes 
 and cravings are all directed towards God, towards His 
 honor and His praise," such a soul is pure and holy. But 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 let us look within ourselves and we find that our inclina- 
 tions and our cravings are all set upon earthly and carnal 
 things. And from this we may be certain that our souls 
 are not in a fit and proper state, that they do not please 
 God and that they are wicked ; and God's word further 
 teaches us with reference to ourselves, what we ourselves 
 feel to be the case. The third point, continued Schwartz, 
 " is how we are saved from our misery of sin by our Saviour," 
 and he then requested the King to be allowed to narrate 
 to him a beautiful parable, contained in the word of God 
 and which illustrates this doctrine. " Let me hear it" .said 
 the King, and thereupon Schwartz related the parable of 
 the Prodigal son and explained it. He showed how we 
 have fallen away from God and have become lost in mind, 
 in will, in body and soul ; that husks are the best reward 
 to be expected from the service of sin and the devil; that 
 we should allow ourselves not only on account of our own 
 misery, but also on account of the rich mercy of God, to be 
 induced to return to Him ; and lastly, how always ready He 
 is in His inexpressible mercy to receive those who turn to 
 Him in heartfelt repentance. It was thus that Schwartz 
 spoke to the King and to a number of his noblemen. After 
 some refreshment had been brought to him, he continued : 
 " We Christians are in the habit of thanking God for His 
 mercies and of requesting Him to give us grace to employ 
 the powers which we have gained by the enjoyment of the 
 gifts He has bestowed on us in His service." The King then 
 requested that Schwartz should pray. Accordingly in the 
 midst of these heathens Schwartz prayed, and when the 
 King added : " I have also heard that you are in the habit 
 of singing," Schwartz sang to him the three first verses of 
 the hymn in Tamil : 
 
 " My God I bring my heart to Thee," 
 
 and then read out the remainder of the hymn to the end. 
 The King was much satisfied and said that he had never 
 heard such things from a European, of course because the 
 majority of Europeans are in the habit of only showing 
 their Christianity in Church or, perhaps, a little in their 
 own households, but of keeping it carefully concealed from 
 every body else. Schwartz was very graciously dismissed, 
 and soon afterwards started back for Trichinopoly for he 
 had only come to Tanjore for a visit. The King, however, 
 said to Captain Berg, "it is my decided wish that that 
 Schwartz should live more with me, so that I may have 
 
187 
 
 the advantage of his good advice. 5 ' The Brahmins, however, 
 knew how to counteract the King's wishes, and succeeded 
 so well in their counsels to the King that they managed 
 to get him confined in prison by the Trichinopoly Nabob 
 for two years, from whence he was only unwillingly released 
 at the intercession of the English. 
 
 When Schwartz had taken up his residence altogether at 
 Tanjore, he often saw the King and conversed with him, 
 bub it never came to a conversion for the intrigues of the 
 Brahmins and the King's own flesh were too strong for that. 
 In 1787 he (Tolossi Rajah) died ; when on his death-bed 
 delivered over his adopted son to the care of Mr. Schwartz, 
 saying, " this is not my son but yours." Schwartz, however, 
 thought this responsibility too much for him. Had he 
 undertaken it, and had he brought up the lad, of about ten 
 years old, as a Christian, the future of the kingdom of 
 Tanjore would very likely have been a different one. But 
 Schwartz declined the responsibility, and upon his advice 
 the boy was given in charge to the King's brother Rama 
 Sami, who acted as Regent during the Prince's minority. 
 As Regent he was at first friendly towards Schwartz and 
 presented him with a village of an annual revenue of 
 Rupees 1,000 for the maintenance of his schools. But 
 he himself rather wanted to become King, and besides 
 this he was urged on by corrupt Brahmins. His sup- 
 porters, therefore, alleged that the old King when he died 
 had not been in his right senses, the adoption was not 
 valid, and his brother, who now called himself Ameer Singh 
 was the rightful heir to the throne. The Governor of 
 Madras sent an Official to investigate the whole matter. This 
 gentleman went very cautiously to work; he selected twelve 
 learned Brahmins, caused them to be separated from each 
 other and then proposed to them the several questions 
 Schwartz also was present and translated the answers. 
 Like a miracle it happened that the answers of all the 
 twelve Sages were exactly alike and each was in favor of 
 Ameer Singh's claims. The Regent, therefore, became King 
 and the lad Serfojee was put aside. The fact, however, was 
 that this conclave of Brahmins had been treated no better 
 than the conclaves of Cardinals assembled to elect a Pope 
 have been generally treated. The Brahmins had all been 
 bribed and succeeded not only in throwing dust into the 
 eyes of the Madras Government through their Official, but 
 also into the eyes of Schwartz the guardian of the young 
 
188 
 
 Prince. But though the deception was publicly known 
 Ameer Singh still remained for many years on the throne, 
 which, however, was no peaceful seat. Willingly he would 
 have been entirely rid of the young Prince Serfojee, but 
 Schwartz protected the boy that had been entrusted to him, 
 and when he found that Tanjore was no longer a safe 
 place for him, he took him with a military escort to Madras. 
 Schwartz remained in Madras for a year and Ameer Singh 
 would have liked nothing better than that he should have 
 never returned. He did return, however, quite safe and 
 sound, and brought the young Missionary Paetzold with 
 him who was learning the language under his tuition. 
 Paetzold has described the pleasure with which the King 
 saw the return of the aged Schwartz. " Whilst Mr. Schwartz 
 was in Madras the superstitious King collected a lot of 
 prophets and magicians and asked them to state whether 
 he would return safe from his journey to Tanjore again, or 
 whether he would die on the way. The prophets employed 
 all their art and then told the King ' that the old Padre 
 would not return alive but would be drowned in a river.' 
 Upon this the King caused considerable presents to be given 
 to them. But it was not long before our dear old Padre 
 returned safe and sound. But when Herod saw that he had 
 been cheated by his wise men he got very angry. If the mad, 
 wild, cruel and ignorant man, called the King of Tanjore 
 could or dared (as for his life he would like,) he would kill 
 Mr. Schwartz to-day rather than to-morrow. He is Mr. 
 Schwartz's determined enemy. If any body would only get 
 rid of him, this tiger would make the murderer the richest 
 of men or perhaps his Prime Minister. Mr. Schwartz has, 
 therefore, a military guard in his garden." This blind hatred 
 did not improve the King's situation, and even before 
 Schwartz's death he was deposed and Serfojee was raised 
 to the throne. 
 
 As Mr. Schwartz had in Trichinopoly to minister to the 
 English so he had also to do in Tanjore, and had much to do 
 with political matters. The story of his embassy to Hyder 
 Ali is well known. Mr. Higginbotham in his valuable 
 book, ' Men whom India has Known,' says that Hyder wrote 
 to the English Government: " Do not send to me any of 
 your agents, for I do not trust their words or their treaties ; 
 but if you wish me to listen to your proposals, send to me 
 the Missionary of whose character I hear so much from 
 every one ; him I will receive and trust." Schwartz only 
 
189 
 
 accepted the appointment after 'hesitation. Hyder received 
 Schwartz with great cordiality, and apparently arrived at 
 an understanding with him though what that understand- 
 ing was remains a mystery. The treaty, however, whatever 
 may have been its form, was not effected. A bag of Rs. 300 
 which was placed in Schwartz's palankin as he was 
 leaving, this honest ambassador of God and man would not 
 at first accept, and only eventually did so when Hyder's 
 officers informed him that it was as much as their heads 
 were worth to take it back to their master again. Schwartz 
 took it but only to give it to the Government of Madras on 
 his return, and when they in their turn refused to accept it, 
 he requested to be allowed to invest it as an endowment to 
 his school. This was in 1780 or only two years after his 
 settlement in Tanjore, so that his integrity and piety 
 had already made him famous before the guardianship of 
 the young King of Tanjore attracted to him still more 
 attention. In 1783 Schwartz was again sent on an embassy 
 to Tippoo, Hyder's son, but this obstinate and foolish Prince 
 refused to see the man his father had chosen to honor. 
 
 Schwartz lived and labored in Tanjore nearly 20 years. 
 During this time he collected a flock of nearly 3,000 souls, 
 who were, however, not all in Tanjore, but as is often the 
 case in the Tamil Mission, scattered amongst many villages. 
 Schwartz lived and held his Service in the suburb of Tanjore, 
 and his Christians lived around him. His Church in which 
 he preached in Tamil was but small and was afterwards con- 
 siderably enlarged. Considering the high respect in which 
 Schwartz was held by the people, by the Kings of the land 
 and the English Government, now growing daily more 
 powerful, one might have expected that hundreds of 
 thousands of Tamulians would have been won by him. For 
 in him were combined so many things to prove advantageous. 
 A thorough knowledge of the people and their customs, a 
 winning mariner which made him the favorite of every one, 
 a great influence with the mighty ones of the country, no 
 family ties to trammel him, an experience gained after nearly 
 half a century's work, and the very considerable sums of 
 money which were at his command. But here again things 
 did not fall out according to worldly calculations. As through 
 the acts of the mightiest Apostles only so many believed 
 " as were ordained to eternal life," so it was here. And 
 though the dead should rise from their graves and the 
 angels in heaven should become Missionaries, the world 
 
190 
 
 would still remain the world, and the way to life would 
 remain a narrow one until the day of judgment. Schwartz 
 has well said : " Let no Missionary waste his time in vain 
 complaints. We should be witnesses of our Lord, not only 
 converters of souls. It is true we wish that as Peter's 
 sermon converted 3,000, so we might be able to see a rich 
 and visible blessing rest upon our labors. But, there is 
 a time to sow, and a time to reap, and then, perhaps, if we 
 received such blessings we might not, perhaps, preserve our 
 humility of heart. The best thing we can do is to work 
 diligently, and then to pray that God will bless our work." 
 
 As the end of this faithful servant drew near, many of 
 the brethren came from afar to see him once more. Janicke 
 and Kohloff were with him. Gericke came from Madras 
 and brought the young Holzberg with him. Pohle came 
 from Trichinopoly and Cammerer from Tranquebar. To 
 Cammerer who had only been seven years in India and had 
 been Schwartz's pupil in Tamil he praised the goodness of 
 God who had found him worthy to be a Missionary with 
 which no other service in the world could compare. True, 
 he said, there comes many a cross, " but my brethren ! they 
 are good for us. By means of them our hearts are more 
 drawn towards God and we are kept in humility which the 
 proud and obstinate heart so willingly loses sight of and 
 we always receive more of the good than we do of the evil. 
 Ah ! when I think how like a father God has hitherto led 
 me, out of what troubles he has saved me, and in spite of 
 my many sins truth has so patiently dealt with me I must 
 exclaim, Blessed be His name ! Believe me the joy is inex- 
 pressible to have forgiveness of sin through Christ. Ah ! 
 what has not my Saviour done for me a poor sinner!" A 
 few hours before going Home he sang with a loud voice the 
 hymn : 
 
 ' In Christ I have my life and dying is my gain/ 
 
 and then fell asleep, whilst those around him were singing 
 the last verse of " O bleeding Head so wounded." This 
 was on 13th February 1798. Schwartz was over 71 years 
 of age and had served the Mission for 48 years. Next day 
 he was laid to rest in the Church he had built, but instead 
 of singing there was nothing heard but weeping, and when 
 Gericke tried to preach his funeral sermon he found he 
 could only read the burial liturgy. On the following day 
 only was his funeral sermon preached. 
 
191 
 
 Probably no Missionary has been so much loved during 
 his lifetime and so greatly honored at his death as Ch. Fr. 
 Schwartz. The English Government erected a monument 
 to his memory in the Cathedral at Madras with a long 
 inscription full of his praise. And even Serfojee the heathen 
 King of Tanjore, whose tears had fallen upon Schwartz's body, 
 placed a monument to his memory (sculptured in Europe 
 by Flaxmann) in the Church which Schwartz had built near 
 the large pagoda, and the King composed the following 
 inscription : 
 
 "Firm wast thou, humble and wise, 
 Honest, pure, free from disguise, 
 Father of orphans, the widows' support, 
 Comfort in sorrow of every sort. 
 To the benighted dispenser of light 
 Doing and pointing to that which is right, 
 Blessing to Princes to people, to me ; 
 May I, my father, be worthy of thee 
 Wisheth and prayeth thy Serfojee." 
 
 His native Christians also erected a monument to him, 
 but not in stone or in metal ; they erected it in their hearts 
 " The memory of the just is blessed'' Eleven years before 
 his death Schwartz had prepared the son of the old Mis- 
 sionary Kohloffso far that he was able to ordain him. The 
 younger Kohloff, whose service in the Mission, added to 
 that of his father's amount to more than a century, was dur- 
 ing the last eleven years Schwartz's Assistant, and then his 
 successor, with him there labored for shorter or longer 
 periods Janicke, Horst and Hanbroe, who all went to their 
 rest before him. Kohloff lived until 1844 and, therefore, 
 saw the commencement of the revival of the Tranquebar 
 Mission. After his death the changes in the congregation 
 were numerous, and anglocizing could go on without ob- 
 stacle. Eight years after Kohlotf's death, after the German 
 arrangements had all been shoved on one side, many of 
 the flock turned again to their mother Church. When Mis- 
 sionary J. M. N. Schwartz received them again into the 
 Lutheran Church, they begged that the services might be 
 conducted exactly in the same way as they were in the 
 time of Chr. Fr. Schwartz. They had, therefore, by no 
 means forgotten the faithful shepherd who had left them 
 50 years before. 
 
 Tanjore is, therefore, again one of our Mission-stations, and 
 
192 
 
 Missionary Ouchterlony has been the resident for many 
 years. Our flock there now numbers nearly 900 souls, of 
 whom one-half live in or near Tanjore and the remainder 
 are scattered in 30 villages. It is true that the property 
 left by Schwartz, together with the Churches and houses, 
 has remained in the hands of the English Missionary Society 
 who received it when Germany forgot to remember the 
 land of the Tamulians. Before the close of the last century 
 the Rev. Paetzold of Madras thus writes regarding this 
 matter : "According to right the Gospel Propagation Society 
 has no Mission, i.e., no proprietor^ claim upon any East Indian 
 Mission. The Vepery Mission, Church and buildings conies 
 from the Catholic Armenians, who, because they intrigued 
 with the French, had to give up both, whereupon the Govern- 
 ment handed over both of these to the German Mission- 
 aries at their request. Fabricius and Breithaupt their pre- 
 decessors and successors kept everything in proper order at 
 their own cost. In Cuddalore Huttemann built and repaired, 
 and now Gericke keeps in order the half-deserted station, 
 with no Missionaries appointed to it, out of his private pocket. 
 Tanjore, Trichinopoly, Palamcotta, Combaconum, Ramnad, 
 &c., were all founded and put in working order bySchwartz, 
 the Churches were founded, built and repaired by him, as best 
 he could at his own expense, and are in the strictest sense 
 of the word Schwartz's own private property. But Schwartz 
 says, No, they are the propert}'- of all honest, faithful 
 German brethren who may succeed me, for as long as they 
 may remain in India. When there are no longer any, those 
 may take it who like. That the G. P. Society has contri- 
 buted nothing, not even one penny, towards the building of 
 all the Churches and Missionary buildings ; nay, further 
 that they have not even taken any notice of such, is an 
 indisputable fact." So far Mr. Paetzold But it has 
 happened as Schwartz prophesied. When there were no 
 longer any German Missionaries ' those took it who liked' 
 and it only remains for us to be glad that it has fallen 
 into the hands of those who, though they oppose us 
 whenever they can, employ not only this money, but also 
 many and large sums in addition in the interest of the 
 Tamil Mission. They have inherited the externals, the 
 essentiality, the pure Word and Sacrament has remained 
 with -us. And besides the good and faithful God has again 
 helped us in the erection of the most necessary Station- 
 buildings, and to a fine roomy Church at Tanjore. We, 
 
193 
 
 therefore, look forward to the future with confidence and 
 believe that He who has hitherto helped will do so in days 
 to come. He will help us if we remain faithful to Him 
 until death. And to this faithfulness unto death may He 
 in His mercy help us all ! Amen. 
 
 Combaconum. 
 
 Combaconum is situated in a very fruitful and populous 
 portion of the old kingdom of Tanjore, and possessed a 
 royal palace. Village succeeds village and the whole region 
 is like a garden of God. Where, however, there are rich 
 districts and King's palaces, there also will be no want of 
 Brahmins. But where the Brahmins are numerous, miracles 
 are also necessary, that the people may be attracted and 
 subsistence provided for the Brahmins. Besides number- 
 less miracles said to have happened once, the Brahmins 
 have also established a miracle which continues to happen, 
 and that regularly every twelve years. The Ganges, though 
 1,000 miles distant, fills once in 12 years the big tank at 
 Combaconum with its water. As to bathe in the Ganges is 
 a work of great merit, and as owing to its distance the 
 performance of this work is difficult; hundreds and thousands 
 flock to this tank and in it wash away their sins so 
 effectually that they have no need of any further purifica- 
 tion. As elsewhere the Brahmins and their followers are 
 here also much opposed to the Gospel. If in any place 
 Brahmins represent the Pharisees, and anywhere deserve 
 to be called whitened sepulchres, it is here, for I know 
 of no other place in Southern India where Brahmins hold 
 secret meetings at which they eat meat, the object of a 
 Brahmin's abhorrence, and drink brandy, and yet according 
 to outward appearances are strict Brahmins. People like 
 this who are not even honest, as regards their own religion 
 are, of course, the least likely to be affected by the Gospel. 
 " Have we not rice to eat, and clothes to wear as well as 
 you ? why should we become Christians ? and as we are 
 so much better off than you, it is clear that the blessing of 
 God rests upon us and not upon you !" This is what they 
 say, and one cannot even answer them with the illustration 
 of the beast fattened for the slaughter-house, which gets as 
 much food as it can eat whilst we regulate the diet of out- 
 own children and deny them many things because they do 
 not fatten their cattle. The parable of the Prodigal son is 
 equally lost upon them, because they are far removed from 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 the husks, and fatten upon the marrow of the land. To 
 certain men and classes of men the Gospel remains a folly 
 until their death and to them nothing applies except what 
 applied to the Pharisees " Woe unto you !" 
 
 When during the middle of the last century Christianity 
 spread further and further from Tranquebar, some Chris- 
 tians were found at Combaconum, who were ministered to 
 by Chr. Fr. Schwartz from Tanjore, as Combaconum is much 
 nearer Tanjore than Tranquebar. Schwartz kept a Catechist 
 there and built a little Church. But this has shared the 
 same fate as everything else that our Missionaries built and 
 collected. In our days some Christians, however, still 
 remained, so that in 1856 Combaconum was again made into 
 a station, together with Cuddalore. Missionary Meischel 
 looked after the station from Mayaveram as there was as 
 yet no building for a Missionary. But the flock increased 
 even under these circumstances. Since 1860 we have had 
 a Mission building near the town constructed for a Mis- 
 sionary's residence,and forholdingDivine Service. Originally 
 it was lightly built but has since been thoroughly repaired. 
 The Rev. Wansky who, since 1867, is stationed here, has 
 seen his congregation slowly but steadily increase. 
 
 At the present time Combaconum has about 400 Chris- 
 tians who live scattered in 23 villages. May the All-power- 
 ful God soon change the righteous Pharisees into poor sin- 
 ners, fitted for the Kingdom of God ; but in the meantime 
 continue to collect the poor and the miserable and those 
 who lie under the hedges so that His Kingdom may be full. 
 For there is yet room there ! 
 
 Mayaveram. 
 
 Between Combaconum and Tranquebar lies Mayaveram, 
 distant from Tranquebar a night's journey or about 18 
 miles. The neighbourhood is very fertile and the land is 
 irrigated by water from many channels. As far as the eye 
 can reach there is nothing to be seen but rice-fields, the mono- 
 tony of the view, however, is here and there broken by small 
 groves. And wherever is a group of trees, there one may be 
 sure is also a little village, even though there is nothing to 
 be seen of it. The houses are all very low, consisting chiefly 
 of mud walls and palm leaf thatch, so that the trees tower 
 high above them. In this fine fertile neighbourhood it is 
 
195 
 
 pleasant living, especially for the Hindoo, whose scull is like 
 an earthen vessel and is burnt all the harder by the heat 
 of the sun without causing him any suffering. The brain 
 of a European, however, is in danger of melting, and his 
 lungs pant for air in this region where there is at times 
 scarcely a breath to be felt. Mayaveram is the principal place 
 in the neighbourhood, and is a pretty little country town 
 with broad streets, and a large much-frequented pagoda, 
 together with many smaller ones. During the last century 
 Christianity seems to have taken no root here, for the 
 people wanted nothing. And where there is nothing wanting 
 the Physician of the soul can give no help, for the full man 
 requires no food, nor the healthy man a doctor. After 
 1813, when by order of Parliament, India was thrown open 
 to the Mission there came several Missionaries to the Tamil 
 country, some English and some German sent by English 
 Societies. Especially active was the then youthful Church 
 Missionary Society. Her elder sister the Gospel Propaga- 
 tion Society had already taken possession of the inherit- 
 ance of our fathers, to which after our fathers had died 
 out, they had a certain right. 
 
 The Church Missionary Society, however, had to begin 
 anew. It is true they attempted a Mission at Tranquebar 
 in opposition to ours, but the Danish Government wisely 
 declared that they could not suffer a second Mission in the 
 small field of Tranquebar. So they were obliged to leave 
 Tranquebar, they did not, however, go far but settled down 
 at Mayaveram where they built two Mission houses and a 
 larger building for a school. This was in 1823. 
 
 These intentions upon Tranquebar by no means prospered. 
 During 18 years there died, got sick, and left Mayaveram, 
 not less than six Missionaries, of whom the first three were 
 Germans in English employ, and the last three English- 
 men. The seventh Missionary, an Englishman, was even, 
 too much of a Churchman for the Church Missionary 
 Society, and so he was dismissed. This station with 38 
 Christians stood then empty, and was in danger of falling 
 into the hands of the heathens. This excited the pity of 
 the pious Collector, H. Stokes, in Guntoor, so that together 
 with other friends he purchased the station and presented 
 it to our Mission, with the condition that we should always 
 keep a Missionary there. This was a noble act of a noble 
 and pious man, in whose house I have seen Officers of high 
 
19G 
 
 rank, a General at their head, kneeling down with him to 
 pray to God that He would extend His Kingdom in India. 
 In the year 1845 Mayaveram became a Lutheran station. 
 
 In spite of many struggles with the heathen land pro- 
 prietors, the Lord's work gradually spread until out of the 
 38 Christians there came at last several hundreds, so that 
 a large Church had to be built. During the last years 
 under the ministration of the Kev. J. M. N. Schwartz the 
 work has so greatly prospered that the hundreds have 
 
 frown into thousands, and the large Church has been quite 
 lied. Frequently on a Sunday there have been no less 
 than 400 communicants and indeed so many as frequently 
 to be a severe strain (in this climate) upon the physi- 
 cal powers of the Missionaries. Mayaveram has, therefore, 
 become our largest station and reckons nearly 1,800 souls 
 in 120 villages. The Rev. Mayr assisted by a native pastor, 
 with a candidate for Orders, and 15 Catechists, now presides 
 over Mayaveram, since the Rev. Schwartz has undertaken 
 the duties of Senior at Tranquebar. May the faithful and 
 merciful God continue to increase the poor and the miserable, 
 so that the eighteen hundred may grow into as many 
 thousands and be a light to shine throughout the whole of 
 this populous country. We have a great God and it is 
 fitting to ask of Him great things ! 
 
 Nagapatam. 
 
 Nagapatam, or as it is generally called Negapatam, 
 signifies the snake-town, and this name has, as those of 
 many other Indian towns, its origin in Indian mythology. 
 It is situated on the mouth of one of the branches of the 
 Cauvery, in a fertile but tmpicturesque neighbourhood of 
 the old kingdom of Tanjore. The Portuguese settled 
 here and were driven out by the Dutch. The Dutch built, 
 as they did in each of their Indian Settlements, a fort. It 
 is proverbial and perfectly true that the traces of the 
 Portuguese are Churches of the Dutch, forts and of the 
 English, roads. The Dutch carried on considerable trade 
 between Negapatam and Ceylon and their distant posses- 
 sions in the Sunda Islands. In English hands Negapatam, 
 as well as Tranquebar, Sadras, Pulicat, &c., fell into decay 
 and commerce all centred in Madras. When the railway, 
 however, was finished from Trichinopoly and Tanjore as 
 far as Negapatam, the trade at Negapatam began to revive, 
 
197 
 
 so that the town was rescued from thorough ruin. Our 
 old Missionaries already labored in Negapatam and 
 especially Gericke, who lived here for several years until in 
 1788 he became Fabricius' successor in Madras. But in 
 Madras he did not forget Negapatam but visited it from time 
 to time until he died. Even in his Will he did not forget 
 Negapatam but inserted a clause by which he provided that a 
 portion of his property should be devoted to the mainte- 
 nance of Negapatam. To this day the English congre- 
 gation accordingly receive annually Rupees 630, whilst the 
 remainder, and by far the larger, part of the property goes to 
 the benefit of the congregation at Madras. We look with 
 pleasure on the traces of the labors of our old Missionaries, 
 although the fruit of them has passed into the possession 
 of others. 
 
 As Negapatam began to revive by means of the railway, 
 and as Tranquebar still continued to decline, many families 
 emigrated from Tranquebar and Poreyar to Negapatam, 
 where some of them obtained appointments in the railway, 
 and others engaged in trade. This was the commencement 
 of our congregation in 18G2 ; and in 1864 it was converted 
 into a station. The congregation at present consists of 
 over 230 souls, and is one of the wealthiest and most 
 respectable of our Mission. It has, however, unfortunately 
 had to suffer many changes in its Missionaries, having 
 had since 1864 almost as many pastors as there have been 
 years. These changes have not had very evil effects, since 
 the congregation consists of old Christians, descended from 
 Christian ancestors, but the good effects of a permanent 
 supervision have been wanting. The Rev. Mayr who 
 looked after the station from July 1866 to March 1870 
 took the first steps towards building the necessary Church, 
 and was even subsequently active with regard to it, until 
 on 3rd April 1872 the Church was consecrated. It is 
 especially pleasant to record that the congregation bore a 
 large share of the expenses of this building. May this con- 
 gregation fulfil its high calling and let its light shine not 
 only to the heathens but also to the Papists ! May the grace 
 of our Lord be the sun and shield of the congregation and 
 station of Negapatam. 
 
 Pudoocotta. 
 Pudoocotta means Newcastle, and is also a piece of the 
 
198 
 
 old Tanjore kingdom. Ifc is a wooded hilly bit of country 
 of about 1,300 square miles and some 300,000 inhabitants. 
 A number of tanks collect the rain water and irrigate the 
 rice-fields. The cultivators, however, spend most of their 
 labor in the production of pulses, which do not require irri- 
 gation. The inhabitants are for the most part Kaller, i. e., 
 rogues. The golden age for their caste is, however, past and 
 gone, they have changed their calling, and have become 
 tillers of the field in which employ they are as honest as 
 their neighbours. The town of Pudoocotta is regularly built 
 with straight and pretty broad streets. In the middle of 
 the town is the palace of the King, for his Brahmin flatterers 
 call him the Maha Raja, i. e., the great King. The 
 Brahmins hold him tightly in moral or immoral bondage, 
 and the English Government is compelled to hold him in 
 pecuniary bondage. Of course, the English Government only 
 adopted such measures when- his proclivities for running 
 into debt were found to exceed all bounds. For instance, 
 at the annual feast of Durga, thousands of Brahmins who 
 came flocking from a distance were fed for 10 days and 
 then presented with gifts, so that one of these feasts cost 
 above Rs. 30,000, beyond the personal expenses the King 
 incurred. The father of the present Prince was a simple, 
 but rich, clever and influential Zemindar. In their last 
 struggles he continued firm to the English although all 
 his neighbours were against them. Out of gratitude he was 
 converted into a Prince of Pudoocotta. He built the palace 
 and did much to improve his little territory. His son, 
 however, the present Prince gives the reins to the Brah- 
 mins and does nothing but enjoy himself. He will pro- 
 bably be the last Prince of Pudoocotta as his father was 
 the first. The time of Indian Princes is everywhere past. 
 
 In Pudoocotta the American Missionaries of Madura had 
 collected a few Christians and had opened some schools for 
 the heathens. As they wished to centralize their powers, 
 the station with its tumble-down mud house was offered 
 to and accepted by us. The Christians numbered some 90 
 souls. This was already in the year 1849, and if a Missionary 
 had been able to go there at once the number would have 
 increased. But not only had we no Missionary but no 
 dwelling for him or means wherewith to build one. And 
 so one year passed after another and it is only to be 
 wondered that the Christians were not altogether scattered. 
 This they did not do but ID creased to 117 souls. At last 
 
199 
 
 in 18C9 Pudoocotta received its own Missionary in the 
 Rev. Kabl, and he has already succeeded in building a 
 house. Unfortunately soon after he had to be transferred. 
 The Rev. Zorn has been his successor in Pudoocotta. 
 
 In a smaller degree our Missionary in Pudoocotta stands 
 in the same relation as Schwartz once did in Tan j ore. 
 There is a small heathen royal Court, ruined by Brahmins, 
 with a good humoured but weak King ; a number of 
 Christians in many villages, but as yet no Church. May 
 he equal Schwartz in activity and may he like him win 
 many souls to the Lord ! and let this be the prayer of all 
 those who wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 and by whom His appearance is looked and longed for ! 
 
 Coimb atore. 
 
 The district of Coimbatore was formerly a portion of the 
 Great Pandion kingdom of Madura. Under Hyder Ali 
 it was annexed to Mysore where it remained until taken 
 possession of by the English. It is the most mountainous 
 and the best wooded district of the Tamil country, for here 
 are theNeilgherries or blue hills, the highest point of which 
 is above 8,000 feet in height, and which form an invigor- 
 ating place of retreat for the sickly Europeans from the 
 plains. There is a regular alpine air, though with an 
 Indian sun, and no snow or ice. A residence there is 
 strengthening to wearied men but not sufficient to bring 
 about the recovery of those really ill. Recoveries are 
 something like the red cheeks which the children from 
 the plains so easily get on the hills, and again lose 
 immediately they return to the plains. A large town, 
 Qotacamund, is situated some 7,000 feet high, and offers 
 everything which a European in a foreign land can desire. 
 Churches, schools, libraries and public gardens and many 
 a quiet forest where the wearied limbs can again get accus- 
 tomed to walking. In the winter months it is very cold 
 and the thin air is very piercing, but it never comes so far 
 as to freeze. The sun perpendicularly above the head is, 
 however, very treacherous. Two thousand feet lower there 
 is a smaller town Coonoor, which is preferred by those who 
 are too weak for the cold winds and the heavy rains of 
 Ootacamund. There is plenty of room for many other towns, 
 without, however, much prospect of any being built, for 
 although the cool oasis amidst the glowing heat of Southern 
 
200 
 
 India, is such a blessing, it can only be enjoyed by the 
 wealthy. 
 
 The slopes of these hills are planted with coffee and tea, 
 for which the plains are too hot, and many plantations 
 'produce excellent crops of both. Otherwise, however, they 
 are covered by dense forests and the valuable teak tree is 
 here at home. More important, however, are the teak forests 
 in the south of the district, in the Aneimalei hills, (=the 
 elephant hills. These hills are as high as the Neilgherries, 
 but almost entirely uninhabited. Here the Government 
 has taken the teak forests under their special protection. 
 The trees are felled under the supervision of Government 
 Officials, dragged to the edge of the precipices, down which 
 they are rolled, then taken in carts for several days' journey, 
 thrown into the Poriany river, and floated in rafts down 
 to the sea on the Western Coast. Here they are placed in 
 ships, and go by sea to Bombay where they are used for 
 Government purposes. The timber destined for Madras is 
 taken by yet longer detours to the Cauvery, floated to the 
 sea and then taken by ships to Madras. In this way teak- 
 wood becomes expensive, but as it is almost the only wood 
 in India which will stand the climate, and is not touched 
 by the white ants, it is almost indispensable for building 
 purposes. 
 
 The Aneimaleis being uninhabited by men are a favorite 
 residence of elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, bisons and 
 whatever else crawls upon earth. In addition it is for the 
 greater part of the year the rainless months the abode of 
 fever, and a short residence only is sufficient to bring a 
 man under its sway. This fever king, who has his emis- 
 saries in the jungles of the plains is the true Procrustes of 
 India, who uses the same measure for every one who comes 
 within his influence without caring whether he be big or 
 small, high or low, and presses him into the same cot. 
 Whoever escapes his clutches never forgets his terrible 
 hospitality. 
 
 Many of the wild elephants are caught and used for 
 dragging down the felled teak timber. A reward used to 
 be offered for their destruction, or rather for the production 
 of their teeth, for each pair of which the Government gave 
 Us. 70, so that in four years 700 elephants were killed ; 
 a reward, however, is now no longer given and the destruc- 
 
201 
 
 tion of elephants is forbidden. A price is also placed upon 
 tigers and leopards, or rather upon their skins ; these are 
 killed in much larger numbers, but without being exter- 
 minated. They frequently pay a visit to the Neilgherries, 
 and even to Ootacamund, where they have killed and eaten 
 many a grass-cutter. English Officers are generally on 
 their track, but these animals are very cunning and are no 
 respecters of persons. I have met several Officers who can 
 show dreadful scars, the results of their cruel embraces. 
 
 The district of Coiinbatore has over a million inhabitants, 
 and three-fourths of these gain a subsistence from culti- 
 vation. Besides rice and various pulses, tobacco and several 
 kinds of cotton are grown. The cotton is not much exported, 
 for 14,000 looms already wait for it and work it into the 
 requirements of the district. As no machinery is employed, 
 either for cleaning or spinning, the cotton is manufactured 
 to-day just as it was in Menu's day, 2,800 years ago, and 
 employs a large number of laborers. 
 
 In other respects also this district is rich enough. It 
 contains 16,000 Brahmins, of whom 500 are priests, who 
 serve the idols in more than 100 large pagodas, and 
 2,000 dancing girls who have to dance in front of the 
 stone-gods with drums and pipes without number. In this 
 district, and especially in and near the principal town 
 Coimbatore, which is not otherwise remarkable for any 
 thing, there resided a number of old Christian families, of 
 whom in 1856 a number joined us. Some heathens also 
 came, and this was the origin of the station of Coimbatore. 
 The congregation is amongst the most prosperous of the 
 Mission, many of its members are Government Officials, and 
 they willingly contribute to the wants of the station. Five 
 years ago a dwelling-house was built for the Missionary, 
 which being erected by a professional man, especially 
 appointed for the purpose, is said to be one of the finest in 
 the Mission. A large school-house was at the same time 
 rebuilt and is also used as a Church. Missionary Herre has 
 labored here for many years, and his congregation now 
 numbers 427 souls in 19 villages. It is a large and inter- 
 esting field of labor, and we pray that the Lord will 
 increase the number of His followers to as many thouscinds 
 and give to each individual the grace to be a light and a 
 salt of the earth to his heathen neighbours, so that the 
 Missionary may labor with ever less grief and more joy 
 
 26 
 
202 
 
 of heart, until the Lord Himself shall come, Who is onr life 
 and our light as well at home as abroad. 
 
 Chellumbram. 
 
 Though not a large town Chellumbram is regularly built 
 with broad streets, and an enormous pagoda in the middle. 
 The country around is very fertile and is the richest 
 portion of the Cuddalore District. When the young rice 
 crops begin to shoot above the water, the whole country 
 looks as if covered with green satin. For miles and miles 
 as far as one can see this lovely green refreshes the eye 
 now and then relieved by a cluster of cocoa-nut palms. A 
 few months later the golden ears not unlike wheat, wave 
 to and fro in the wind, and involuntarily tune the heart to 
 offer up thanks to God for these His rich blessings. 
 
 But the richest blessing of this rich country are the 
 believing souls who live scattered in more than 30 villages. 
 By degrees some 500 persons came to Cuddalore to be 
 instructed and baptized, and of the majority I can say 
 with confidence that they received instruction with actual 
 longing, and soon learnt by-heart the five chief points of 
 the Catechism. In the same way they quickly compre- 
 hended the further explanations, so that it was a real 
 pleasure to teach them. And when they returned to their 
 villages, they were not idle, but proclaimed the good tidings 
 to their relations and neighbours who also came. The 
 Christians themselves are the best spreaders of Christianity, 
 each in his own village and in the most natural manner. 
 
 In this way the work of the Lord grew in and around 
 Chellumbram until it became too great to be properly 
 attended to from the 30 miles distant Cuddalore. As 
 just at this time the Rev. Wolff returned from Germany, 
 Chellumbram was separated from Cuddalore and made over 
 to him in 1866. The change was to have taken place 
 gradually but actually occurred more suddenly than had been 
 intended. At the same time the young Christians lost their 
 native preacher, who had labored among them for some 
 time and had won. their confidence. The results soon 
 became apparent. By the grace of God those already 
 collected remained faithful to their new pastor and his 
 assistant. A sudden change, however, of a Missionary 
 
203 
 
 establishment has always an injurious influence upon a 
 newly collected congregation, and although there may be 
 no one to blame. The hope, therefore, which Mr. Wolff 
 expressed when he took charge of Chellumbram, that in 
 the same year he would be able to double the number of 
 Christians (490) was unfortunately not fulfilled. In latter 
 years, however, the work has again begun to increase. 
 
 As Chellumbram was made into a separate station, it was, 
 of course, necessary to build the requisite station buildings, 
 and Mr. Wolff has succeeded in erecting a good Mission- 
 house and out-buildings. In the first of these there is not 
 only ample room for his own family, but also for the accom- 
 modation of guests and brethren passing through. As such 
 visits are rare in Chellumbram the pleasure of the kindly 
 hosts is all the greater that they have a guest, and that of the 
 guest also that he can find shelter in a Christian house- 
 hold, in a region where but lately there were no Chris- 
 tians to 'be found. A small school is near the house from 
 which from time to time the sound of our German hymns 
 in the Tamil tongue are heard as far as the dwelling- 
 house. It is to be regretted that the station was nofc 
 built in the middle of the town of Chellumbram, although 
 ifc is situated only a few minutes distance from it. Inside 
 the town the heathens would have seen more of our Chris- 
 tian services and even the Christians from the villages, 
 prefer, as is also the case in our smaller towns of Germany, 
 to go to a Church in the town. 
 
 At present Chellumbram reckons 673 Christians in 48 
 villages. May the merciful God and Lord of the harvest 
 soon see fit to carry into effect the hope of Mr. Wolff and 
 soon double the number of his converts, and may the 
 hundreds be changed into thousands all filled with life and 
 light from above ! Chellumbram is one of the few stations 
 in our Mission where there is no rival. Even the Papists, 
 although they have a few Christians scattered here and 
 there have neither a priest nor a station in Chellumbram. 
 Our Missionary at Pudoocotta is the only one who enjoys 
 similar good fortune, but Chellumbram has the advantage 
 over Pudoocotta that the Christians live for the most part 
 within easy distance and the country is a pleasant one 
 and well populated. May God soon raise up faithful 
 native assistants in and around Chellumbram, and make 
 this station as spiritually a rich and fruitful field, as it is 
 
204- 
 
 naturally. Oh ! Lord, send faithful workmen into Thy 
 harvest. That is, a prayer which is needed for each station 
 in the land of the Tamulians and also for Chellumbram. 
 Therefore let all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ pray 
 for this ! 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 We have now visited each of our Mission-stations in 
 succession and have seen how they originated and how 
 much progress each has made. If we look back upon the 
 whole, we are bound to admit that the work of our Missions 
 spreads each year more, and that there has been an improve- 
 ment everywhere and in each station. It is true that as 
 regards interior arrangements our Mission cannot compare 
 with the English and Romish Missions. We are in great need 
 of more places of worship and of School-buildings, and here 
 and there of Mission-houses and station-buildings. It has 
 been well said that tents and not houses is the proper 
 expression for our condition of life among the heathens. To 
 whom could the words, " We have no abiding place here but 
 look for the one to come," better apply than to the Mission- 
 ary amongst the heathens. In a strange land which can 
 never become his home, amongst a people whose inward 
 feelings as diametrically opposed to his own as their color 
 is to his ; amidst the strangest dialects, where the tones of 
 his mother-tongue are but a rare sound, who than a Mis- 
 sionary could more truly sing : 
 
 " I am a stranger here on earth." 
 
 Yes, tents is the proper expression for our condition of life, 
 but the country will not suffer us to live in tents, or without 
 houses. The people too have seen so many and such dif- 
 ferent ' travelling saints' that they will riot trust them, and 
 the question " whence is he ?" is a stereotyped one in the 
 mouth of a Tamulian. In such a country and with such a 
 people it is, therefore, necessary for the Missionary to have 
 a safer roof than a tent offers, and a dwelling, so that he 
 may give an answer to the question " From whence ?" and 
 that his people may know where to find him when they 
 wish to come to him for help. However, often as he may 
 O to them and visit them in their villages, he must still 
 have a house ; not only does the climate render this neces- 
 sary but also the Missionary's calling. 
 
205 
 
 Although we are much behind in our internal structures, 
 in the rounding off and arrangements of our congregations, 
 in protection of their rights and in accustoming them to their 
 duties ; as regards our direct task that of collecting 
 heathens for the Kingdom of God, God in His mercy has 
 by no means allowed us to be behind our neighbours. In 
 the last 10 years from 18621872 we have baptized 4,600 
 heathens, besides nearly 3,000 children born in the Mission 
 of Christian parents. This is a much larger number than 
 any equal number of Missionaries* have baptized in the 
 same time anywhere in the land of the Tamulians. 
 Tinnevelly excepted ; not excepted, however, the Papists 
 in spite of their large number of Bishops, Priests, and Nuns, 
 buildings and means. To God be given the honor, for 
 it is not we who have done this, but He who has brought 
 them to us and given them to us, that we should instruct 
 them and baptize them in His name and rear them up to Him. 
 
 If, however, anybody should ask : are all these thousands 
 really and truly converted and faithful Christians ? I would 
 answer without hesitation; by no means. They are, 
 however, all withdrawn from the degrading and indecent 
 idolatrous worship and have been brought under the 
 healthy influence of the Gospel. Their faces have been 
 turned away from dead idols and directed towards the 
 living God, turned from the darkness towards the light. 
 This alone is a great gain. The light shines into their 
 lives and clears up many a dusty corner. Many things 
 which as heathens were natural to them they now leave 
 off and are ashamed of; besides it is the Lord Who knows 
 His own and not we. But when we see our Christians die 
 with a full sense of their sin and guilt, and in a firm faith 
 on Jesus Christ their Redeemer, we are bound to say, 
 may my end be like theirs ! and when we see blind old men, 
 led by their grand-children, and leaning on a staff walk 40 
 miles to partake of the Holy Communion ; when we see 
 our Christians bring their children as far to be baptized, 
 the parents having, perhaps, been only baptized two years 
 before ; when they allow themselves to be persecuted and 
 beaten, because instead of working on Sunday they insist 
 upon going to Church, and when we see them every 
 Sunday walk 17 miles to Divine Service, the mothers 
 carrying their children, we cannot do else but say : The 
 
 * Of Missionaries there were 12 in 1862 and 16 in 1872. 
 
206 
 
 Lord's work is going on in their hearts, the Father is 
 drawing them to the Son, the Holy Ghost illuminates, 
 quickens and sanctifies their hearts. And this is what has 
 been done under mine own eyes ; how much more might 
 not be gathered from the testimony of the rest of the 
 brethren ! 
 
 Our work is not, therefore, entirely in vain although the 
 days are small, and we still smaller instruments. Therefore, 
 wherever in our distant home there are Christian hearts 
 which lift themselves to God in simple and child-like faith, 
 may then our work be remembered before the Lord. The 
 work our task is enormously great ; our strength is insig- 
 nificantly small. Let, therefore, a sigh now and then arise 
 to God for our work as also for ourselves. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE ENGLISH EPISCOPAL MISSION. 
 
 Until the commencement of this century the Government 
 of India would not permit any English Missionaries to come 
 to the country. This Government had its Head Quarters in 
 London, and was called " The Honorable East India Com- 
 pany." Although the Government consisted of Englishmen 
 only it would not give its sanction to any English Mis- 
 sionaries. When at last some English Missionaries : Carey, 
 Marshman and Ward ventured to come to India, (Calcutta) 
 they were not permitted to labor as such, but were obliged 
 to settle in the small Danish territory of Serampore, even 
 there they were hard pressed by the English Government, 
 and some were actually sent out of the country. But whilst 
 India was so shut against English Missionaries, the Germans 
 who came to Tranquebar, were not only allowed to travel 
 all over the country, and to build stations where they liked, 
 but the Governor of Madras was friendly towards them and 
 sometimes aided them. Even in Calcutta, the Tranquebar 
 Missionary Kiernander was allowed to build a station with- 
 out being in the slightest degree prevented by the Govern- 
 ment. It seemed as if God had intended the country for 
 the English but the Mission for the Germans. Whilst, 
 however, the English were always more diligent in taking 
 possession of the length and breadth of the land, the 
 Germans became always more neglectful of the Mission. 
 They relinquished one station after another, and at last 
 
207 
 
 did not even know how to keep their last post, Tranque- 
 bar. Under these circumstances, the Mission also had to 
 become English. 
 
 In the year 1813, the Charter of the East India Company 
 had to be renewed by the Crown, and at this opportunity 
 the friends of the Mission in England tried to move the 
 Government to insert a clause in the Charter, in which, for 
 the future, Missionaries should be permitted to go to India 
 and labor there. But they appealed to deaf ears, to the 
 Government as well as to the East India Company. There 
 was, therefore, nothing left to them but to appeal to the 
 country and to see how much Christian consciousness was 
 left in the people. This step was not a fruitless one. Lord 
 Castlereagh, the ministerial leader of the House of Commons, 
 and the real governing power of England, had given to a 
 petitioner this answer : " The country in general seems 
 to be indifferent regarding the Mission to India; all interest 
 appears to be centred upon one or two Societies." "If 
 that is your Lordship's opinion," returned Mr. Fuller, the 
 petitioner, " you shall soon have an opportunity of judging to 
 what extent public opinion is on our side." When the 
 country came to hear of these cold words of the cold Lord 
 Castlereagh, there arose a movement from one end to the 
 other. Petitions poured in from every quarter of the 
 kingdom, from large towns as from little villages; from 
 individual congregations, as from corporate bodies. Every 
 post brought more of them. For eight weeks they kept 
 coming in, nine hundred in number, until the ministerial 
 table was full of them. "That is enough Mr. Fuller," 
 Lord Castlereagh is reported to have said, and he intro- 
 duced the clause : " That it is the duty of this country 
 to facilitate the introduction of useful knowledge and 
 of religious and moral improvement into India, and con- 
 veniences should, therefore, be afforded to persons who 
 are willing to go to India for this object." Hitherto no 
 Missionary was allowed to go to India without the per- 
 mission of the Government, which permission, however, the 
 Government never gave. The word f facilities' was meant 
 as showing that this permission was no longer necessary. 
 But even this clause which shows on the face of it, that it 
 had been forced out of Government, excited in the Lower 
 House a debate which lasted a week, and it is remarkable 
 that it was chiefly opposed by those who had been a 
 
208 
 
 long time in India and who had left their Christianity 
 behind at the Cape of Good Hope. First of all rose Sir 
 Henry Montgomery who had been for 20 years in Military 
 employ in Madras, and in opposing the clause he said : 
 " If we wish to convert the Hindoos, we should commence 
 by converting our own people, who now present an 
 example of lying, cursing, drunkenness and vice: The 
 Mutiny of the native troops at Vellore (which like all 
 other evils had been, of course, ascribed to the Missionaries) 
 was not caused by the Missionaries, but if they were 
 allowed perfect freedom of action, such scenes would be 
 repeated. For my part I am more anxious to save the 
 lives of my 30,000 countrymen than the souls of all the 
 Hindoos at such a price. Besides, I know of no instance 
 in which a Hindoo has been converted, with the exception 
 of a single one through the instrumentality of that respect- 
 able individual Mr. Schwartz." Thereupon Wilberforce 
 got up, and pointed out that 20 years before he had 
 proposed that Missionaries should be allowed to go to India, 
 and that promises had then been made which had never 
 been fulfilled. He spoke strongly in favor of Carey, 
 Marshman and Ward of Serampore in particular, and of 
 Missionaries in general. He spoke for three hours and in 
 such a manner that even his opponents heard him with 
 pleasure. But then there got up one old Indian after 
 another who praised the religion and the customs of the 
 Hindoos and described them to their hearers as worthy of 
 paradise. Even Sir Thomas Munro, who subsequently as 
 Governor of Madras, has left behind him a good name, spoke 
 against the clause and said amongst other things : " If 
 civilization should ever become an article of commerce, 
 England could only gain by the introduction of Indian 
 civilization." The most bitter, however, was a former Madras 
 lawyer, and Wilberforce had to rise once more to defend 
 the Mission. But although Wilberforce was almost the only 
 one who spoke in favor of the clause, still it was carried, 
 for the unmistakable opinion of the country which had 
 shown itself in the 900 petitions could not be despised. In 
 this way the door of India was opened to English Mission- 
 aries, and from that time dates the commencement of the 
 English Mission in the country of the Tamulians. 
 
 The Church Missionary Society at once made use of this 
 open door, and already in the next year sent out their first 
 
209 
 
 Missionaries Rhenius and Schnarre to Madras, and others 
 soon followed them, Schafter, Schmid, Lechler, Barenbruck 
 and others. These were all Germans, but Englishmen also 
 soon came : Ridsdale, Tucker, Ragland, Moody, Royston, 
 Pettitt, &c. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 also commenced to send Missionaries to India. The 
 Christian Knowledge Society which had supported our 
 old Missionaries who worked in English territory, Schultze, 
 Fabricius, Gericke, Rottler, Paetzold in Madras ; Schwartz, 
 Kohloff, Pohle and others in Tanjore and Trichinopoly, 
 retired from Missions to the heathens, and handed over this 
 portion of its labors to the newly formed S. P. G. This 
 society, therefore, became the heir of the congregations, 
 stations and property collected by our Missionaries. It had 
 in this way a good start in India, and especially in Madras, 
 Cuddalore, Tanjore and Tinnevelly. 
 
 This society divides its work in the Tamil country 
 into three circles ; that is Madras, Tanjore and Tinnevelly. 
 We will follow this division and commence with the first 
 circle Madras. 
 
 In this circle the society has three stations, two in 
 Madras and one at St. Thomas? Mount near Madras. The 
 most important of these stations is still the old one in 
 Vepery, where our German Missionaries labored for so 
 long a time. There the Society has over 800 Christians ; 
 altogether in these three stations there are over 1,500 
 Christians. The Missionaries are not Europeans, but four 
 are natives and the fifth is an East Indian. According 
 to the Report of 1870, there were baptized in the three 
 stations 40 heathens. In addition the Society maintains a 
 Theological Seminary, with 18 pupils and an English- 
 Tamil school, which is attended by 380 children, of whom 
 40 are Christian children and the rest Brahmins, Mahome- 
 dans and other heathens. 
 
 The number of Christians in the other circle that of 
 Tanjore, which now includes Trichinopoly, is much larger. 
 Herein 11 stations there are 4,700 Christians and the 
 congregations are well organized and contribute according 
 to their circumstances towards their own support. A 
 considerable portion of the energies of the Society, is here 
 also expended on the schools. Besides an English-Tamil 
 school in Ramnad with 160 pupils heathens it has a so- 
 called High School in Tanjore with 460 pupils and another 
 
 27 
 
210 
 
 such in Trichinopoly with 400 pupils. They attempt by 
 these means to approach closer to the higher classes, 
 but as the principal attention is bestowed upon subjects 
 required for the Government Examinations, and as the 
 Government Inspector only looks after secular subjects of 
 knowledge, conversions to Christianity from these schools 
 seldom occur. Besides these schools, the Society has also 
 Seminary at Yediarpuram with 125 pupils from which it 
 take its Catechists and Teachers. 
 
 This the once-so-fruitful field of our old Missionaries 
 Schwartz, Kohloff, &c., seems now to have become like 
 firmly trodden down soil. In our Mission, also, the fewest 
 conversions of heathens take place in this field. There has 
 been no want of faithful work, and, as far as the S. P. G. 
 is concerned there have been ample funds, but neither have 
 made the soil fertile. The wind bloweth where it listeth, 
 and thus it is with the Spirit of God. May it please Him 
 to breathe upon this part of the country and to awaken 
 the old Christians to life and the heathens to the question, 
 " what shall we do to be saved ?" 
 
 By far the most fertile circle in the whole of India is 
 the third, that of Tinnevelly. The conditions here are, 
 however, very different from those in any other part of 
 India, and in order rightly to understand the results of the 
 Mission it will be necessary to treat of them in detail. 
 
 Tinnevelly is the most southern of the Collectorates and 
 lies between the 8th and 10th degrees of northern latitude. 
 There is but little rain here for the western ghauts 
 which divide Tinnevelly from Travancore retain the south 
 western monsoon and the north-east monsoon is kept 
 back by the most northern portion of Ceylon which 
 lies exactly opposite the coast. The consequence is that 
 in Tinnevelly there are large unfertile tracts of land, 
 as opposed to the neighbouring kingdom of Travancore, 
 separated from it by the western ghauts. Standing upon 
 the southern spurs of the ghauts, both countries can be 
 seen at the same time, and the contrast is astonishing. 
 Travancore appears clad in a marvellous green, with hills 
 and valleys, lakes, rivers and forests. I have never seen 
 so remarkable a fertility as in Travancore. The famed 
 fertility of Egypt cannot compare with it, and the most 
 fertile parts of the Tamil country do not equal it. Tinne- 
 velly, however, appears like a large burnt up plain with a 
 
211 
 
 few fertile green oases widely separated from each other. 
 But these barren unpicturesque fields are well suited to 
 cotton, which is here so extensively cultivated that not 
 only is sufficient produced for the clothing wants of the 
 people, but also many thousand bales are exported to 
 Europe. 
 
 In the sandy tracts is the home of the Palmyra, an 
 ungraceful but useful tree. The trunk measures from 60 
 to 90 feet in length without a single branch, and then 
 comes the crown formed of fan-like leaves. These leaves 
 are used for thatching houses, and mats and baskets are 
 also manufactured from them and even vessels for drawing 
 water. The single leaves form the so-called oleis, which 
 are used all over India for writing upon. The writing is 
 carefully scratched with an iron point and whole books 
 and valuable documents are thus compiled. Even in the 
 schools the lower classes use these as books. The young 
 roots of the trees as well as the ripe fruits are eatable and 
 the unripe fruits yield a tasty and wholesome food. 
 
 The most important product of this tree is its sap, which 
 it yields most abundantl} 7 during the hottest months of the 
 year. This sap taken fresh from the tree serves as a 
 breakfast for the Palmyra farmer and his family, and is not 
 only nourishing, but also pleasant to those who are accus- 
 tomed to it. The remainder of the juice is at once boiled 
 into a sort of sugar cake, which is partly used by the 
 family at the noon-day meal, and partly sold to purchase 
 curry and rice for the evening meal, the chief meal of the 
 day. If, however, the juice is allowed to remain standing 
 unboiled, it soon becomes changed into an intoxicating 
 drink called toddy. 
 
 In order to draw off the sap of the Palmyra, the cultivator 
 has to climb up to the crown ; as, however, the trunk 
 has no branches, this is by no means an easy task. It can 
 only be done by strong healthy men accustomed to it from 
 their youth. They tie their feet together fast, put them 
 against the tree, they then grasp the trunk with their arms 
 and draw up their feet, and so on till they reach the top 50, 60 
 or even 70 feet in height. This can only be done by 
 strong muscles. A proper day's work consists in climbing 
 50 trees twice; for in the morning the juice which has accu- 
 mulated during the night is taken, and at evening what has 
 
212 
 
 been produced during the day. Each tree yields from two 
 to three measures. It is remarkable that the sap flows 
 most freely just at the hottest time of the year. The best 
 time for the sap of this shadowless tree is during the months 
 when the sun is in the north, including the time when 
 it is going towards the north in April and returning 
 from the north to the south in August. When every blade of 
 grass is dried up and disappears without leaving a vestige 
 behind, when instead of clouds of rain there are clouds of 
 dust filling riot only the rooms but the eyes, the mouth 
 and the nose ; when the streams are dry and the wells are 
 exhausted, and the largest rivers in India contain 
 instead of refreshing water a glowing bed of sand ; then 
 the Palmyra, growing in barren soil, unseals its foun- 
 tains and pours forth its juice without ceasing. How is 
 it that this shadowless palm has so much superfluous sap 
 of life ? Dr. Caldwell wished to answer the question arid dug 
 deep into the ground, deeper and always deeper, in order 
 to discover the course of its roots. But, however, deep he 
 dug he always found the thread-like roots of the Palmyra 
 burrowing yet deeper, until 40 feet below the surface of 
 the earth he came upon water. Here the roots, caring 
 nothing for the sandy soil, drunk in refreshing water, 
 and penetrated even further between rocks and stones, so 
 that the Missionary could follow them no more. The 
 riddle how the Palmyra obtains its juice in the hottest 
 weather was, therefore, solved ; and this is what the Tamil 
 poet means when he sings : 
 
 If thou do'st a good deed ask not again in the instant 
 What good will it bring me, what fruit ? 
 
 For see how the palm tree gives back at its summit 
 The water it drank at its foot ! 
 
 This also is the meaning of our Tamil translation of 
 Psalrn xcii, 12, " The righteous shall flourish like a palm 
 tree ;" when all around is scorched up and dry, the fountain 
 of the righteous is full of water and does not cease to yield 
 him refreshment. It is, however, a fountain, hidden deep, 
 deep under the surface, but rooted in and nourished by the 
 love of God. 
 
 It was amongst this simple race of Palmyra farmers, the 
 Shanars, some of whom also cultivate the land, that Chris- 
 tianity has celebrated her most important victories in India. 
 Living at the southern extremity of India and possessing 
 
213 
 
 only a barren country, they were not much effected either 
 by the Brahmin immigrations or by the Mahomedan sway. 
 The Brahmins suffered them to drag their idol-cars, but did 
 not permit them to enter the temples. In this way they 
 retained their own gods and their own worship. Their 
 gods were demons, with an influence for evil only, and who 
 had, therefore, to be conciliated by a regular devils worship, 
 (of which the drinking of blood formed a part,) so as to 
 induce them not to do too much evil or to refrain from it 
 altogether. It never occurred to the people to ask for or 
 to expect benefits of their hands. 
 
 Nor did they experience many benefits from man. Their 
 much more crafty neighbours and the large landowners 
 knew how to get from them one piece of land after the 
 other. Under these circumstances, the Gospel, which speaks 
 of a merciful God, Who has a heart which feels for man and 
 Who delights in doing him good, found an easy entrance. It 
 was to them like a draught of refreshing water after a long 
 journey in a barren desert. Simple Christians from Tanjore 
 first brought to them the tidings. Ch. Fr. Schwartz 
 baptized the first converts and left with them a native 
 assistant. He also baptized a Brahmin widow who owned 
 a little property and who built a small Church in Palam- 
 cottah the chief town of Tinnevelly. 
 
 In the year 1792,^ Missionary Janicke visited Tinnevelly 
 from Tanjore, and baptized those who had been prepared. 
 He was the prophet of Tinnevelly for he closed his report 
 with these words : " There is every reason for hoping that 
 in the future Christianity in Tinnevelly will spread yet 
 further." In 1797 he again visited the district, and reports 
 that in addition to the first Catechist Satiyanadan who had 
 been ordained by Schwartz there were then laboring among 
 the .Christians four more Catechists and some assistants. 
 
 In the year of the good Janicke's death, Gericke visited 
 Tinnevelly from Madras and baptized in different places 
 some 1,300 souls. His journey was like a triumphal march 
 from village to village, and he writes of it : " We arrived at 
 Bethlehem, a new village which also has a new Church 
 built by the catechumens, in order that they might be 
 baptized in it. I preached to them on the healing of the 
 man sick with the palsy and spoke of the blessings they 
 might expect in Christ if they turned to Him with upright 
 
214 
 
 hearts. In the evening they all assembled again; after 
 their heathen names had been registered and their new 
 Christian names written opposite, I preached to them 
 about the history of Cornelius and baptized 203 souls out 
 of 48 families. Each family was called separately and 
 after they bad renounced the devil and had made a 
 confession of the Christian faith, father, mother and children 
 and all the members of the family knelt down and I 
 baptized them in the order the Catechist read out their 
 Christian names. In a few instances it happened that the 
 head of the family addressed a few touching words of 
 exhortation to this or the other member of the family. 
 The service lasted from 6 o'clock in the evening until 
 midnight. Satiyanadan and the Catechist said : " This is 
 like a new life ; never have such things been seen in this 
 country." Next morning the flock were again assembled 
 for prayer, after which I installed the four elders whom they 
 themselves had chosen. After this we visited some of the 
 leading heathens. They had not been able to make up 
 their minds to turn Christians, but expressed themselves 
 as satisfied with what they had seen and heard. We then 
 went to Pageladi where we held a service similar to the 
 one in the last village. Here there was no Church, but as 
 the whole village had declared for Christianity they had 
 cleaned out their heathen temple and prepared it for divine 
 worship. They had all been previously instructed by 
 Satiyanadan and the Catechists. I addressed them regard- 
 ing the histoiy of Lydia and baptized 220 souls out of 53 
 families, and then appointed the elders. It was eleven 
 o'clock at night before we started for Kundali. Here again 
 the whole village was expecting me and was waiting to 
 hear the word of God and to be received into the Christian 
 Church. They too had converted their heathen temple 
 into a place of worship ; I preached to them of the jailor 
 at Philippi and baptized 248 out of 62 families. The service 
 lasted from 8 o'clock A. M., until 2 P. M. From there we went 
 to Karakovil where also the whole village was waiting for 
 me. The Catechists had already taken down the names of 
 the different families ; and after I had spoken to them, I 
 baptized 204 souls out of 46 families. The service lasted 
 from 7 P. M. until midnight. It gave me great pleasure to 
 see all the inhabitants of the village, young and old, 
 hastening to the Church. The Catechist and the Christians 
 who had followed us from other villages said : ' Never 
 
215 
 
 whilst this was a heathen temple did they come in such 
 numbers. The Lord Himself draws the people to His Word 
 and Baptism.'" 
 
 The number of Christians had thus increased to 2,700 
 and the Word was making an active progress. But now 
 there came one trial after the other, and each more heavy 
 than the last. First of all persecution from their heathen 
 neighbours and from heathen officials. Then there came 
 a dreadful pestilence which carried away many and caused 
 many others to waver in their faith. The worst of all was 
 that through all these troubles which extended over a long 
 period they had no Missionary to guide or to console them. 
 It was not till 20 years afterwards that they came under 
 the guardianship of the Rev. Rhenius, whose hands were, 
 however, otherwise full, and it was only after 29 years that 
 they received a Missionary of their own. 
 
 It might be imagined that after 29 years of trials, only 
 a vestige of them would have been left here and there. But 
 when Rev. Rosen came to count his scattered sheep he 
 found there were still 3,000 souls remaining. During these 
 29 years they had, therefore, not only kept together but 
 had also increased in numbers, although not a few had 
 fallen away. Two native pastors ordained by Schwartz, 
 sent there and maintained by him, had continued the work 
 as well as they could. The Christians who had been 
 compelled to yield to persecution collected together and 
 founded a new village, Mudaloor signifying ike first place 
 to which, in the future those could flee who were persecuted 
 by their heathen neighbours. There is some thing prophetic 
 in the very name of Mudaloor, for after it several other 
 villages were founded Nazareth and others. In both of 
 these villages there resided native ministers who looked 
 after their different flocks. It is true that Dr. Caldwell 
 doubts whether these native pastors have not done more 
 harm than good, but the English Chaplain, Mr. Hough, of 
 Palamcottah, who visited them in 1817 and travelled about 
 with them, speaks well of them ; he writes : 
 
 "The native Pastor Visuvanada lives in a village which is 
 called by the Christians Nazareth, some 20 miles south 
 of Palamcottah ; and Abraham, the other Pastor is in 
 Mudaloor, some miles further. If I may judge from what 
 I saw during my stay amongst the people of both villages, 
 
21C 
 
 both they and the Christians of the neighbouring villages 
 are greatly attached to their Pastors ; and I am confident 
 that it is only necessary for the native Pastors to be 
 properly supported and guided, to render them of most 
 efficient service to the congregations under their charge. 
 Even my short visit caused to all of them an indes- 
 cribable joy, and the good people came flocking from 
 every village and hamlet. When I catechised those who 
 were represented as the most leading men, I found 
 them far better instructed in their religion than I had 
 expected ; and if the length of time is considered during 
 which they have been without a Missionary, it is most 
 satisfactory and encouraging to find that the gentle Spirit 
 of the Gospel has always kept them in union. The two 
 abovementioned villages consist entirely of Protestant 
 Christians, and there is nowhere an idol or a temple to be 
 seen. The quietness that reigned here, contrasted with 
 the noise in heathen villages seemed to surround the spots 
 with a kind of sanctity, which led me to forget that I was in 
 the middle of a heathen country. One of the native Pastors 
 led me to a place near the village where a number of women 
 were sitting under the shade of some cocoanut trees. They 
 were spinning cotton and at the same time were singing 
 Lutheran hymns. After the service, a large portion of the 
 congregation showed no inclination to separate, but sat down 
 in front of the door and sang their hymns until late in 
 the evening. In this group there were two old men who 
 had been converted by Janicke 20 years before, and these 
 men sang me some hymns which Janicke had taught them. 
 What they sang and said, was not so intelligible to me 
 as the language of the younger people, but you will believe 
 me that they were amongst the most interesting of the 
 members of the group. I mention this, perhaps, trivial inci- 
 dent in order to show that there seems to be more here than 
 the mere name of Christianity, and that the opponents of 
 Missionary work are in error when they say that there 
 are no real Christians amongst the native Protestants ; even 
 if the labors and expenses of the Society had met with no 
 other fruit they might still point in triumph to these two 
 villages and prove that their work had not been in vain. 
 Some heathens living in the neighbourhood of these villages 
 said to me frankly that they were quiet and well conducted 
 places." (Rise and Progress of the Tinnevelly Missions, 
 London, 1845.) 
 
217 
 
 Up to that time, however, the Society had borne none 
 of the labor and expense in the Propagation of Christian 
 Knowledge in Tinnevelly. Indeed it does not seem to 
 have known anything of these Christians, until it was 
 stirred up by this good man and induced to take an 
 active part. The Christians up to that time had probably 
 never even heard the name of the Society. It was up to 
 that period a pure German work supported by German 
 funds. This same clergyman, Mr. Hough, introduced the 
 Common Prayer Book, for as he took the trouble of in- 
 structing the Catechists in it, it is clear that up to that 
 time they had not used it.* 
 
 Not until 1329 did the Society send the first Mis- 
 sionary, Mr. Rosen, to Tinnevelly, and after that time sent 
 many important men, such as the late Rev. Brotherton, 
 who was indeed an Israelite without guile, Thomas Cald- 
 well, &c. These men have done much and the Societ}' has 
 given them ample funds for disposal. Perhaps the insti- 
 tution which has met with the best results is the following : 
 They have every where village schools, as our Mission also 
 has, to which the Christian children are sent ; but all children 
 who, in the village schools, display any talent, and pleasure 
 in study, both boys and girls, are collected in the chief 
 stations in boarding-schools for boys as well as girls, and 
 there further educated. The cleverest boys are collected in 
 High Schools and trained for Teachers, Catechists and 
 Preachers. The girls also are placed in an institute and 
 educated as teachers. In this way the Mission brings up 
 a generation of well educated people, and especially has 
 done much to raise the status of women. They have gained 
 the same experience as we have in our boarding-schools, 
 that although all the children do not turn out well, it 
 makes a very marked difference to have women in a con- 
 gregation who have been properly trained in a boarding- 
 school. Whilst the others sit quite silent, these take a share 
 in the Liturgy, sing from full hearts, and at the Sermon 
 exhibit an attention and capability of comprehension quite 
 different to that of the rest. In domestic life also they are 
 much cleaner and more regular than the others. The Mis- 
 sionaries remark in their Reports that as far as girls are 
 concerned, day-schools do not answer all purposes. It is 
 
 * The Tinnevelly Mission, by tile Kev. G. PETTITT, London, Ib5l, 
 page 9. 
 
 28 
 
218 
 
 true that they have everywhere day-schools for girls, but 
 it is only those who have been brought up in the boarding- 
 schools under the immediate eye of the Missionary and his 
 wife, not merely educated, who form proper examples to 
 the other women. These are generally married to the 
 Teachers, Catechists and Pastors, and thus form Christian 
 families very different from those taken from among the 
 heathens, or left by the Mission in their primitive state. 
 The boarding-schools, therefore, are not concentrated in one 
 station, but there is one wherever there is a Missionary, 
 and it is intended to establish more or else to enlarge the 
 existing ones. 
 
 According to the Report of 1873, the Society has now over 
 14,000 Christians in Tinnevelly living in 280 villages, and 
 5,000 catechumens under instruction. Nineteen clergymen 
 of whom the majority are natives labor in this field, and 
 during the year reported on, baptized over 700 heathens. 
 There are over 3,000 boys under instruction and over 1,000 
 girls. In many of the best stations quite a quarter of the 
 whole community is being instructed. The expenses of 
 the Society are, of course, very large. It has considerable 
 endowments in India, and receives from Government a 
 grant-in-aid for the schools. Tine Christians, also, contri- 
 bute generously. On the whole, the expenses of the three 
 circles during 1869 appear to have been quite 228,000 
 Rupees. Only 128,000 Rupees, however, of this sum was 
 sent by the Society from England, the remainder was drawn 
 from the abovementioned sources, to which also must be 
 added the subscriptions collected in India. 
 
 Those who sow abundantly will also reap abundantly, 
 In consequence several of the congregations in Tinnevelly 
 have got so far that they bear the expenses of their own 
 Pastor and of their own schools, and others are on the way 
 to be able to do the same. The Society, therefore, sends 
 almost every year less sums. Whilst in 1869 they sent 
 Rupees 128,000, in 1871-72 they only sent Rs. 123,879. 
 If the work goes on unhindered in this way, it is to be 
 hoped that in the next generation these congregations may 
 become entirely self-supporting. The European Mission- 
 aries and the friends of the Society will then be free and 
 can be employed in collecting fresh congregations from 
 among the heathens. 
 
219 
 
 2. The Church Missionary Society. 
 
 The second Society of the Episcopal Mission is the Church 
 Missionary Society. This Society at once seized the oppor- 
 tunity of the renewal of the Charter of the East India 
 Company, and in 1814 landed her first Missionaries in. 
 Madras, Rhenius and Schnarre. They first went for a short 
 time to Tranquebar and then settled down in the so-called 
 Black Town of Madras. Rhenius, who was soon aided by 
 Schmid, made himself in a short time remarkable. Even 
 in my time there still lived in Madras many persons who 
 well remembered his preaching in the streets. His work, 
 however, soon spread far beyond Madras, but in conse- 
 quence of some misunderstanding with the Society, and 
 because Mr. Hough, the Chaplain of Palamcottah begged 
 so earnestly for Missionaries, he was transferred in 1820 to 
 Tinnevelly, whither was followed in the same year by 
 Mr. Schmid. 
 
 In Tinnevelly the remarkable gifts ; and the great zeal 
 for work, which Rhenius possessed, found ample field. He 
 founded on all sides schools, which were for the most 
 part under the supervision of Schmid, who, however, also 
 travelled about and preached to the heathens. Rhenius 
 retained the principal post of preaching to the heathens and 
 collecting congregations. His cheery, kindly and winning 
 manner furnished him every where with an introduction, 
 and before three years were over 136 families out of 17 
 villages situated to the east and west of Palamcottah 
 had come to him for instruction. In the following year 
 there came 293 families from 18 villages and in 1825, 293 
 families from 89 villages ; so that after 5 years' work, 4,300 
 souls had renounced idolatry and had turned towards God. 
 
 The reasons that so many thousands were so suddenly 
 converted were various ; the chief one seems to have been 
 their astonishment that an European should speak their 
 language, and trouble himself about them, the Shanars, a 
 race forsaken, oppressed, though not standing in the status 
 of servitude nor addicted to drunkenness. Rhenius was 
 not deceived. He said : the majority of these people are 
 not impelled to Christianity by proper motives, and how 
 would it be possible for them in their heathen ignorance 
 to be impelled by such. By God's grace, however, I will 
 not let this opportunity escape. The good seed of the Word 
 
220 
 
 shall be scattered as abundantly as possible, and God will 
 give His blessing where it pleases Him. On this account he 
 was in no hurry to celebrate baptisms, the first of which 
 did not take place until after two years, and there were only 
 two families. After 10 years Rhenius had 2,000 families 
 with 7,500 souls in 244 villages ; 64 Catechists instructed 
 them, and in 62 schools 1,300 children were taught. Rhenius 
 now divided the whole region into 10 districts, over each 
 of which he placed a Catechist at the head of the rest. All 
 the native Assistants came once a month to Palamcottah, 
 gave an account of their work, were instructed in God's 
 Word, were admonished and dismissed in God's name. 
 
 Rhenius earned on an extensive correspondence, and 
 sent to his King Friederick William III of Prussia a report of 
 the Mission. The King received this very kindly and sent 
 to him the following letter : 
 
 " To Mr. Rhenius, Missionary. 
 
 I was very glad to receive with your letters of the 
 2-9-1818, the New Testament in the Tamil and Telugoo 
 languages, and the interesting Report of your Mission. I see 
 from it that your endeavours to obey the command of the 
 Saviour to spread abroad the Gospel have been rewarded 
 with blessed results. With pleasure, therefore, I show to 
 you the interest I feel in it, by informing you that I have 
 made provision for a permanent assistance to the Mission 
 School of this place. This medal I send you as a remem- 
 brance of me. 
 
 FiUEDERICH WlLHELM." 
 
 BERLIN, 3Qtk Dec. 1820. 
 
 The first fruit of the royal assistance to Missionary work, 
 obtained in this way by means of Rhenius, was the educa- 
 tion of Gutzolf, who was afterwards celebrated in the 
 Chinese Mission. A Count Dohna sent him a considerable 
 present, with which Rhenius purchased a piece of land and 
 founded a new Christian village, called in honor of the 
 Count Dohnavoor. In it he also built a Church out of the 
 Count's money, and to this day the village is inhabited 
 entirely by Christians. The Rev. Schaft'ter who came to 
 help Mr. Rhenius resided in Dohnavoor. Bernhard Schmid, 
 who until then had been his faithful Assistant, was com- 
 pelled on account of severe suffering in the head to leave 
 the plains and withdraw to the Blue Hills. This Dr. 
 
221 
 
 Bernhard Schmid has subsequently been reproached with 
 inactivity as a Missionary. In Tinnevelly, however, he 
 labored faithfully and remained in union of spirit with 
 Rheriius until his death. Because his sufferings in the 
 head were invisible, men judged by what they could see only, 
 and judged falsely. (After spending 18 years in the plains 
 he went to the Hills in 1835, but as even this cool climate 
 was not sufficient to restore his health, he went to Europe, 
 1836. He returned, however, to India in 1845 and resided 
 at Ootacamund where his leisure was employed in the 
 study of Botany in which he made many important dis- 
 coveries. He died at Calicut in 1857 at the advanced age 
 of 70.) Rhenius also received a valuable Assistant in the 
 shape of the Rev. Miiller, who subsequently became his 
 son-in-law. In this year, 1835, there were 3,275 families 
 with 11,186 souls in 261 villages, under Christian instruc- 
 tion, but only 2,198 persons were baptized. Four German 
 Missionaries, Rhenius, Schaffter, Miiller and Lechler were 
 at the head of the work, assisted by 120 Catechists. They 
 had 107 schools with 2,882 children, and a High School 
 for the training of Catechists and Teachers. Rhenius 
 founded several Associations amongst the Christians, such 
 as a Tract Association, a poor fund for the support of the 
 widows of Catechists and Teachers and a philanthropic 
 Association, called Dharma Sangam for the support of 
 oppressed and persecuted Christians. This Association im- 
 posed upon itself the duty of purchasing land where perse- 
 cuted Christians might take refuge and settle down. By 
 means of the rent which the Christians afterwards paid for 
 the land, this Association soon became self-supporting. It 
 built houses for the Catechists and Teachers, and soon 
 acquired a capital of Rs. 15,000. The other Associations 
 also proved of great benefit and exist to the present day. 
 
 Besides these undertakings Rhenius was very active in 
 literary matters. He wrote a great many tracts, which 
 were printed and distributed by his Tract Association ; and 
 also compiled useful school books, and a Tamil Grammar, 
 which to this day is a faithful guide in Tamil to the 
 Missionary. He also translated the New Testament into 
 Tamil, as he wished to have a more popular version than 
 ours, translated by Fabricius, is. His wish, however, of 
 making it popular led him into writing a paraphrase rather 
 than a translation, In spite of this, his translation was 
 
222 
 
 used by many Missionaries and congregations, and especially 
 in the south. 
 
 Rhenius, therefore, during his 15 years of labor in Tinne- 
 velly, had brought about greater results than any other 
 Missionary of modern times. Even the work of the Jesuit 
 Xavier is not to be compared with that of Rhenius. Xavier 
 went on baptizing until his arm was tired, and was 
 incapable of giving to the people even a single address. But 
 after only two years he declared his baptized converts to 
 be too bad to be Christians, he forsook them and went 
 away. Rhenius, however, first thoroughly instructed them, 
 and founded Schools, Colleges and entirely new Christian 
 villages. From within he raised the whole race by Evan- 
 gelical Christianity and also from without by discipline, 
 order and constitutional rules. Besides he remained at 
 his post until his death, and by means of his writings 
 he still speaks to his congregations, though dead. His 
 Christians consider it a great honor to have been baptized 
 by him. It is true they do not exclaim Saint Rhenius ! 
 (as the Papist do, Saint Xavier !) pray for us ! but could 
 such a prayer be of any use it would be more in accordance 
 with common sense in the case of Rhenius whose life was 
 spent among his Christians, than in that of Xavier, who 
 considered his converts too bad, and forsook them. 
 
 In 1835, however, the incongruous position of an Evan- 
 gelical Lutheran Christian in an English Society, which 
 must always exist, and which had already led to misunder- 
 standing, produced a regular rupture, and Rhenius fell out 
 with his Society. The Church Missionary Society is very 
 mild in regard to English Church matters, and Rheniua 
 was even still milder in regard to Lutheran matters, indeed 
 he was a regular Unionist. And if it were possible for 
 conscientious Missionaries of one Church to work in con- 
 junction with another Church, it must have been possible 
 in this case. But nevertheless it came to be impossible. 
 The way in which matters came to a rupture was as 
 follows : 
 
 Rhenius had prepared with much care a number of Cate- 
 chists and Teachers. Five or six of these he considered 
 worthy of ordination and wished to place them as Pastors 
 in the newly collected Congregations. Our old Missionaries 
 had often done this and had frequently sent such Pastors to 
 
223 
 
 Tinnevelly, who alone had kept together and led the work, 
 during the ' dark times' of Tinnevelly when there was no 
 Missionary there. The English Chaplain, Hough, gave the 
 two last of the Pastors sent by our Lutheran Missionaries 
 the highest testimony. The Society, therefore, had nothing 
 to object against the ordination of Rhenius' pupils; nor 
 did it, but demanded, and rightly from its stand-point, that 
 the ordination should be carried out by the English Bishop. 
 Rhenius would have preferred ordaining them himself 
 as our old Missionaries had been in the habit of doing, but 
 made no objections to their being ordained by the Bishop 
 as long as he did not pledge them by the English confessions 
 of faith with which the Candidates were for the most 
 part unacquainted or when they were acquainted with 
 them, were unable to subscribe. The Bishop, however, 
 could, of course, only ordain according to the rules of his 
 Church, and so nothing came of the whole ordination. The 
 conscientious Rhenius then found it impossible to go on 
 with his work and accordingly made to the Society three 
 proposals ; 1st, to go to England and discuss the matter 
 personally ; or 2ndly, to withdraw to Madras and engage 
 in literary work ; or Srdly, to separate from the Society and 
 work in conjunction with some other Mission Society in 
 India. The Society chose the first of these proposals and 
 invited him to a personal interview in London. 
 
 But nothing came of this arrangement and this was the 
 reason. Mr. Harper, an English clergyman in Madras, 
 editor of a religious newspaper and Secretary of the Mis- 
 sionary Committee, had brought out a little book on the 
 Church, written with High Church opinions, and containing 
 many assertions opposed not only to holy Writ, but also 
 to Church history, and had challenged Rhenius to write a 
 review of it which he promised to publish in his paper. 
 Rhenius did so, for as Secretary to the Committee he was 
 in a way Rhenius' superior. The review, however, by no 
 means turned out to be what Mr. Harper had expected 
 for Rhenius picked the little book mercilessly to pieces and 
 proved so convincingly the untenability of the doctrine 
 of the succession that there was nothing to be said in 
 answer. Mr. Harper considered it, therefore, to be best 
 not to publish this review, and not to say a word in answer. 
 Rhenius quite honestly sent a copy of his review to the 
 Church Missionary Society in London and they also sent 
 
224 
 
 no word in reply. Rhenius' opinion was known and no 
 objection was made to it ; indeed they even defended him 
 against Dr. Wilson the Metropolitan at Calcutta who had 
 wished to interfere in the Mission without knowing 
 anything about it. 
 
 As, however, Mr. Harper would not publish the review 
 of his book, Rhenius urged on by some of his friends, 
 printed it himself in a separate pamphlet, and then, because 
 he had printed his refutation of the doctrine of Episcopal 
 Succession (not because he had written it) he was dismissed 
 by the Society. 
 
 It is easy enough to dismiss a Missionary like Rhenius, 
 but it is often difficult to bear the consequences. Legally 
 the Society probably acted rightly in dismissing a Mission- 
 ary who openly attacks its teachings ; but it would have 
 been wiser if they had at once forgotten the long-forgotten 
 pamphlet. 
 
 The Society did not only dismiss him from its employ, 
 but also removed him from Tinnevelly and took possession 
 of all the stations, even of those which like Dohnavoor 
 has been bought and built out of German money. When 
 Rhenius and his fellow Missionaries, at the request of their 
 Christians proposed to go on with his work unaided by 
 the Society, the then Secretary Tinker who had come 
 from Madras to take charge of the stations, informed 
 them that the Society would certainly send out Missionaries 
 and take forcible charge, even though Rhenius should 
 remain. In order, therefore, to avoid dissensions and 
 scandal, Rhenius expressed himself willing to go. But 
 then his brethren Schaffter, Mtiller and Lechler, who 
 fully agreed with Rhenius, arid who were deeply wounded 
 at the treatment he had received, declared that they too 
 could not stop ; and when the Madras Missions Committee 
 wished them to sign a document " that they resigned all 
 claim to any portion of the Tinnevelly Mission and to the 
 souls who had been or who might be converted by means 
 of their labors, and would quietly withdraw from Tinne- 
 velly whenever the Committee might request them," they 
 one and all resigned their appointment. 
 
 The Missionaries with their families now withdrew to 
 Arcot, in order to commence a new Mission ; and the whole 
 
225 
 
 f 
 
 Tinnevelly Mission with its hundreds of villages and 
 schools, with its thousands of Christians and catechumens 
 and with its 120 Catechists, was given over to the charge 
 of an English Missionary (Pettitt) who had only been two 
 years in the country and who knew nothing at all of 
 Tinnevelly. This was a crying injustice not only to the 
 young Christian congregations, but also an injustice to the 
 young Missionary whose inexperience only led him from 
 one mistake into another. 
 
 Towards the end of June 1835, the brethren had left 
 Tinnevelly, and already at the commencement of August 
 or only six weeks after their departure, they were implored 
 by 44 Catechists and congregations to return. At the end 
 of August, &0 Catechists and 15 Seminarists addressed the 
 Committee in Madras, describing their condition and 
 begging for the restoration of their Pastors. Rhenius and 
 his brethren received a copy of the Address, with an earnest 
 request that they would not forsake them in their need, 
 or otherwise they would be compelled to turn to some 
 other Mission. 
 
 What was Rhenius to do ? For the sake of peace, and 
 in order not to lead the congregations astray, he had 
 yielded, but now there was no peace, and confusion was 
 becoming worse confounded. After consultation with his 
 brethren and friends, he decided upon returning to Tinne- 
 velly. In October he was again at his post and was 
 received by his Christians with great delight. Schaffter, 
 Miiller and Lechler soon followed him. 
 
 Of course, the Society had its supporters and Mr. Pettitt 
 even travelled about and nailed up the Churches of those 
 Christians who adhered to Rhenius ; he even closed the 
 Church of Dohnavoor built with German money and 
 threatened to bring those before a Court of law who 
 should interfere with his nails. Rhenius, his brethren and 
 the Christians bore all this with patience, they complained 
 to no Court, but pursued their way quietly and increased 
 abundantly. His friends in India, England, Germany and 
 America helped him generously. He required nearly 
 Rs. 25,000 annually and the Lord gave it him in abundance 
 until his death. This unhappily followed in three years,. 
 on the 5th June 1838 in the 48th year of his age and in 
 the 24th year of his unbroken Indian career. 
 
 29 
 
226 
 
 ' I am not well, the heat is very great.' These are the 
 last words in his faithfully kept diary. His signature to 
 an appeal to the English residents of Palamcottah to 
 support the Bible Society, written on the morning of his 
 death was the last stroke of his pen. After a short sickness 
 he was seized with paralysis and fell asleep so softly that 
 it was scarcely noticed. 
 
 " My judgment is with the Lord 
 
 And my work with my God" 
 
 is the inscription on his grave. It was not without tears 
 that I stood by his last resting place. 
 
 His fellow Missionaries write of him : " No one was 
 ever more zealous in his duties than Mr. Rhenius was. 
 They were not mere duties to him, but his food and his 
 drink. In season and out of season he was always bent 
 upon doing something useful. Time was very precious to 
 him and each portion of his work had its allotted time. 
 His patience and submission to the Divine Will were 
 wonderful. No one ever saw him impatient or discontented. 
 Whatever happened he accepted as a dispensation of God 
 and submitted to it joyfully nor did he allow it to disturb 
 the deep peace of his soul. When he received evil treat- 
 ment he was in the habit less of thinking of himself than 
 to lament the weakness of human nature, so that what to 
 others would have been a severe trial of patience he seemed 
 scarcely to feel." Newspapers also, which during his 
 rupture with the Society had attacked him severely, now 
 began to sing of his praise. The Spectator of 7th July 1838, 
 writes : 
 
 " Mr. Rhenius was no ordinary man ; his talents were of 
 a very high order, and had he chosen any other walk of 
 life there is no doubt that he would have risen to eminence 
 amongst men of talent and learning. But gifts like his 
 directed without interruption towards one object; a piety so 
 joyful and so sincere ; unremitting diligence with a sound 
 constitution of body, and powers of mind, so well directed, 
 are able to accomplish great things, so that Mr. Rhenius 
 though a simple Missionary has, in course of time, won 
 a firm place in public opinion. There was a power of 
 mind about him which exercised a great influence over all 
 with whom he came in contact. We have learnt the power 
 of his influence in several instances. Personal considerations 
 never entered his thoughts and a wish for personal or family 
 
227 
 
 distinction, found no place in his noble bosom. He was a 
 thoroughly disinterested character. In his many and valuable 
 Tamil writings he has left to the young native Church of 
 Southern India a rich legacy, but to his family he has left 
 no other legacy than his name distinguished for humanity, 
 piety, talent and usefulness," &c. 
 
 Other newspapers wrote to the same effect so that provi- 
 sion was made for his widow and six children. Nor did the 
 Church Mission Society remain in the back ground, but paid 
 to the widow her pension as if Rhenius had not been dis- 
 missed and pays it to this day. For to this day his widow 
 lives and resides in Bangalore. For 35 years has she been 
 a widow, and is still quite lively in spirits : to her and her 
 children I am indebted for many a source of information 
 which would otherwise have remained closed to me. 
 
 Rhenius was a diligent correspondent, and I cannot 
 forbear giving at least one extract from one of his letters, 
 which he wrote to a Missionary scarcely a year before his 
 death, for these words of his are to-day worthy to be 
 taken to heart and not by Missionaries only. To the 
 question what was the reason that his work rnet with 
 such great results, whilst that of others was fruitless, 
 Rhenius replied : " Yea, Father, for thus it hath been pleasing 
 to Thee, that is the answer !" and then he continues : " If 
 I am permitted to give a further explanation of the subject, 
 that much depends upon the spirit in which the means 
 are made use of. Many may plough, sow and water and 
 yet with but little success, owing to want of power and 
 skill. By spiritual power and skill I understand especially 
 proper motives and reasons of action. These are love to 
 Christ and to our fellow sinners, and a burning desire to 
 save the latter from their sins and to glorify the former, 
 and I must add : the carrying out this work as servants 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ and according to his command- 
 ment without regard to others. But it is a fact that we 
 can preach, and proclaim the Gospel, and be otherwise 
 very diligent without being actuated by these spiritual 
 motives or by only a little of them. We can regard our 
 Missionary work as a duty which we are bound to perform 
 towards men who provide us with our temporal wants. We 
 can also be actuated by the feeling that it would be wicked 
 to be idle in this work, and that we should be talked about 
 if we were. In short, we may be very active in our duties 
 
228 
 
 though we regard it merely as an office among men, and one 
 to maintain us in the world." 
 
 " I will not say that these motives and intentions are 
 the only ones (I hope there are very few Missionaries 
 who have no other but these), but these may at the same 
 time be the chief motives whilst the proper motives are 
 only secondary, so that in this respect we are more servants 
 of men than of Christ, or endeavour to serve two masters. 
 But, however active we may be in this way, the blessing 
 from above will always be wanting. The Holy Ghost has 
 not fully taken possession of us, and though we may 
 preach and proclaim the Gospel, yet we do so without 
 power. I really believe, my dear Brother, that in our 
 time there is no want of plans and systems for spreading 
 Christianity. We have enough of these, and in this respect 
 no change is required. But I fear that there is much 
 want of proper motives of the proper mainspring of action. 
 There is a want of an Apostolical spirit, of heartfelt love to 
 men, our fellow sinners, who have need of the same Saviour; 
 of unqualified obedience to our Lord and Saviour; with 
 regard to man of perfect simplicity and God-like sincerity in 
 doing His will, cost it what it may ; the firm resolve to follow 
 His Word in our calling without human inventions ; trust 
 in His promises, and a wish only to increase the glory of 
 God and the salvation of sinners. These, these are wanting 
 and these wants need to be supplied." 
 
 " From what I have said, you will perceive that I do not 
 so much find a want in the means and ways of spreading 
 Christianity, but rather in the state of the Missionaries' 
 hearts. We all want more spirituality, more personal 
 sanctity, more real and vigorous trust in Christ, our Lord 
 and Master in this great work ; more constant living in it, 
 morning and night, more faithful prayer for His blessing and 
 guidance. And here, allow me to speak to you frankly as 
 between you and me, I have often heard, that you are 
 
 rich, that you have a house at and money in the 
 
 Bank. If this is true, I have no doubt you have acted from 
 reasons of prudence in order to provide for a future day. But 
 this is fitting for persons who do not serve Christ, not for us 
 who know and serve an Almighty and All-sufficing God and 
 Saviour. Is there not in this a want of faith in His care 
 for us ? and If this is so, if we cannot trust Him in regard 
 to these minor things, of what nature will our faith be 
 
229 
 
 with reference to higher things ? It can only be a very 
 weak faith and must necessarily cast a great shade over 
 our work in His vineyard. His commandment is : " Seek 
 ye first for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, 
 and He will provide all such (minor) things." If the above 
 rumour is true, I should like to say : " my dear Brother, sell 
 everything and employ it on the poor heathens. Lay it 
 all at the feet of Jesus Christ and turn to Him in perfect 
 faith that He will provide for you and yours. In this way 
 whilst honoring Him, He will again honor you and will 
 make you a light which shall shine brightly, &c." 
 
 The Church Missionary Society did not get another 
 Rhenius, but it has since then faithfully labored in the 
 Tinnevelly field. At present it has in nine chief stations, 8 
 European Missionaries and 31 native Pastors, assisted by 
 206 Catechists. The number of Christians is about 27,000 in 
 471 congregations; above 11,000 catechumens are under 
 instruction, and about 700 heathens were baptized during last 
 year. The catechumens are made to wait several years for 
 baptism. It has 377 schools with more than 11,000 children, 
 and besides a boarding-school for girls, they have in 
 Palamcottah a female Teacher's Seminary with above 100 
 pupils. These are educated so as to pass the Government 
 Examinations and are then sent out as Teachers. Thirty 
 have already been appointed to newly founded Girls Schools, 
 and the Director of the Seminary hopes to be able to open 
 10 new schools every } 7 ear and provide them with Teachers 
 from this institution. These schools are especially intended 
 for heathens, for, experience teaches that every superstition 
 has a firmer hold among women than among men, and in 
 India it is only too often the case that men who are willing 
 to become Christians are kept back by their wives and 
 allow themselves to be hindered, in order to avoid a family- 
 scandal. From this Teach eress Institution we may, therefore, 
 expect great good. An English woman, Sarah Tinker, gave 
 a considerable sum of money towards it, and thus founded 
 the Institution which now bears her name and is known 
 as the " Sarah Tinker Institute." Would that German women 
 would do the same for our Mission ! 
 
 The handful of Christians which Rhenius had collected 
 in Madras have kept firm also, and now numbers 711 souls. 
 The number is, perhaps/ trifling, but their mode of govern- 
 
230 
 
 mentis important. These 711 souls are divided for they 
 are scattered into two native pastorates. Each of the 
 two congregations chooses 2 delegates. These 4 delegates 
 with the two native Pastors and the English Missionary 
 (who also choose two assessors) form the " Native Church 
 Council." This Native Church Council manages all the 
 concerns of the congregations. The contributions of the 
 congregations are paid into a common Fund called the 
 Native Church Fund. The President (the Missionary) and 
 the Secretary (one of the delegates) are the trustees. This 
 Fund together with a grant-in-aid from the Society, which, 
 however, yearly decreases, goes in payment of the salaries 
 of the native Pastors, Catechists and Teachers. In the year 
 1868 when this arrangement was made, the grant-in-aid 
 given by the Society amounted to Us. 300 per mensem. In 
 the following year it was Rs. 250 ; in 1870 only Rs. 200, 
 and in 1872 only Rs. 170, whilst the contributions of both 
 congregations amounted in this } r ear to Rs. 1,549. The 
 Society, therefore, has saved during the last five years, 
 during which the congregation has been divided into native 
 pastorates above Rs. 2,500. 
 
 It will be interesting to hear what the native community 
 themselves think of this arrangement. One of the two 
 native Pastors of these congregations writes as follows : 
 
 " Although the native congregations should have native 
 Pastors, I am of opinion that they should not be left 
 entirely alone, until they are in a position to govern them- 
 selves. But at the same time the native congregations 
 should be taught the great lesson of self-help, of self-action, 
 and self-government, where that has not been done it should 
 be done without delay. For other wise the Missionary Societies 
 would learn by sorrowful experience that this method is not 
 only unsound but very expensive. The native congregation 
 would cling to the Societies like creepers, and their increas- 
 ing numbers would necessitate such outlays that at last 
 it would be impossible to meet them. It is, therefore, 
 of the greatest importance to educate our native congre- 
 gations to a condition of independence, self-government 
 and self-progress. This is also the opinion of the Rev. H. 
 Venn, who for half a century has been the Honorary 
 Secretary of the Church Missionary Society. In 1867, he 
 writes to the Bishop of Jamaica : ' It may well be said that 
 it is a recent discovery of Missionary science, that when the 
 
231 
 
 Missionary is of another and higher race than his converts, 
 he cannot undertake to be their Pastor. For although they 
 may be bound to him by personal ties, yet if he continues 
 to be their Pastor they will not form a vigorous native 
 Church, but, as a rule, will remain in a state of dependence 
 and make bub little progress. The same congregations 
 under competent native Pastors would be independent, and 
 their religion would gain a more manly and homely form.' 
 
 In conclusion, it is clear that in order to make the native 
 congregations independent, they must be brought as soon as 
 possible to think and to act for themselves. A child will 
 never learn to stand and walk alone if it is always kept in 
 swaddling clothes. It is true that native congregations 
 when left alone, will commit many a mistake and will 
 stumble, but through these mistakes and falls they will 
 learn how to walk in safety. The native congregation (at 
 Madras) has reached its present condition by increasing its 
 subscriptions and diminishing its expenditure, and we are 
 not without hope that, in the course of time, we shall 
 require no more help from the Society." 
 
 This is what a native Pastor writes, and his words as 
 well as those of the late Mr. Venn, quoted by him are well 
 worthy of note. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE ENGLISH AND AMERICAN 
 
 (NON-CONFORMIST CHURCHES.) 
 
 The western ghauts slope down towards the south 
 before they reach Cape Comorin the southernmost point of 
 India. The land of the Tamulians which for the greater 
 part is separated from Travancore by these mountains, 
 continue its level plains towards the south-west coast, and 
 thus forms the southernmost point of the kingdom of 
 Travancore. The country, the people, and their conditions 
 of life are here the same as in Tinnevelly. The simple, 
 less cunning and more easily led Shanars turned here as 
 in Tinnevelly in crowds towards Christianity. The Rev. 
 Ringeltaube labored here from 1810, collected several con- 
 gregations and built some little Churches in the shadow 
 of the palm trees, which he himself planted. His name 
 is still remembered. He was an industrious preacher, 
 
232 
 
 travelled much, but suffered much in his head and had 
 to leave India. The London Missionary Society under 
 which he worked sent their first Missionary there in 1818, 
 and has since then faithfully continued Bingeltaube's 
 work. The demon-worship to which all the Shanars are 
 addicted seeras to be still wilder here than in Tinnevelly. 
 They have established " devil-dancers" or demon-priests, 
 who dressed in a fantastic garb make enormous jumps 
 and thus bring to the demon, worship and sacrifice. I will 
 give a few examples of how this is done, and how in spite 
 of all this Christianity still gains ground. 
 
 A woman had been for many years suffering from severe 
 hysterical attacks. These were ascribed to the influence 
 of a demon, but the only thing was that they did not 
 exactly know which devil it was. The priests prescribed 
 costly sacrifices, first for one demon and then for another, they 
 made the wildest jumps, the husband spent his money and 
 the wife kept her sickness. One day when the husband 
 had to start on a long journey, the wife got so violent an 
 attack, that she lay there like one dead. The best of the 
 " devil-dancers" were at once summoned, and they made quite 
 a respectable devils' noise, but the sick woman remained 
 motionless. At last the priests could stand it no longer, 
 and seized by rage, one of them caught hold of a knife, 
 ran at the woman and shouted out : " Reveal thy name or 
 I will cut thee to pieces !" another seized a fire-brand and 
 exclaimed, " I will burn thee unless thou tellest thy name," 
 (the name of the possessing devil). But still the sick 
 woman remained motionless. So it went on till midnight, 
 until at last the husband had had enough. He exclaimed : 
 " Stop ! it is sufficient. How can you drive out the devil 
 when you do not even know his name. Get out of this ! 
 I will have nothing more to do with you. From henceforth 
 I will join the Christians." He then gave his sick uncon- 
 scious wife in the charge of some Christian neighbours and 
 said: "If she dies during my absence, bury her after 
 your fashion, I will have nothing more to do with the 
 demons." The Christians nursed her, and the woman 
 recovered. On his return the man believed and his whole 
 house, and four other families who had been witnesses of 
 what had happened, followed his examples. 
 
 Two of these families had between them a temple, in the 
 middle of which was an image of the terrible Isakki. This 
 
233 
 
 abomination held a child between* its teeth and another in. 
 its hands. They wished to destroy the idol, but nevertheless 
 seemed to be restrained by fear. The Missionary was, there- 
 fore, invited and a large number of people also attended. 
 After an address to the by-standers, Isakki was first of all 
 knocked in pieces, the roof was then pulled down and, lastly, 
 the walls were- levelled to the ground, wherein the Mission- 
 ary also helped. The ceremony concluded with an address 
 and with prayer. But in the same night the wife of one of 
 these new converts was seized with a violent attack of 
 sickness. The villagers at once collected, and were, of course, 
 of opinion that this was Isakki wreaking an awful 
 vengeance. A devil-dancer who had served Isakki also 
 came and shouted like a mad one : Now, I will destroy 
 thee ! Now, I will tear out thy vitals ! The woman, 
 however, in spite of all this recovered, upon which the 
 devil-dancer called out : " It is true that Isakki seized 
 her, but the prayers of the Christians have nailed her to 
 the Murunkai-tree." In another village some Christians 
 had, as a next-door neighbour, a bigoted ' devil-dancer* 
 who often mocked them on account of their prayers and 
 hymns, but who it seems also feared them. He also had a 
 temple of his own in the middle of which was the powerful 
 Palaveshekaran mounted on a horse, with a crown on his 
 head and a sword in his hand; by his side there were also 
 other idols. This savage idol- worshipper had a son 12 years 
 of age who became very ill. The ordinary sacrifices were 
 made, but the boy became always weaker and weaker until 
 at last he lost all consciousness. The heathens at once made 
 a loud yelling, as is their custom when any one is about to 
 die. In this extremity, the anxious father turned to his 
 hated Christian neighbours and begged them to intercede 
 for him, and added that in future he would no longer wor- 
 ship idols. The Christians prayed and by the grace of God 
 the boy recovered. Thereupon the man gave over to the 
 Missionary the different articles he had used in his demon- 
 worship and begged him to come into his village and 
 destroy the idol. The Missionary came and a number of 
 people assembled in the house. After an address, the 
 mighty Pulavashekaran was tumbled into the dust and 
 the temple destroyed. A few days afterwards the man's 
 wife sickened and all the villagers again thought that 
 Pulaveshekaran was about to take a terrible revenge ; the 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 woman, however, recovered and the whole family were 
 converted. 
 
 An old ' devil-dancer' had served his demons until his 
 60th year, when at last he was attacked with rheumatism 
 and great pains in his limbs. The man then concluded 
 that his demons were no good and turned to God. His 
 wife, however, was even worse than Mrs. Job, she not only 
 mocked him but left him as she herself would not become 
 a Christian. The man, therefore, was left in a helpless state 
 and was dependent upon the generosity of others. But his 
 patient suffering conquered at last his bad wife and her 
 children. They returned to him, were all converted and the 
 old man's spirit became again young. 
 
 One must not suppose that this demon-worship is 
 nothing more than ignorance and superstition. It is both, 
 and a good deal more besides. Nor must one suppose that 
 these demon-priests, devil-dancers, or whatever else they 
 may choose to call themselves are nothing more than clever 
 cheats cheats they are to be sure, but they are more than 
 that, they are also cheated. After conversion they have 
 frequently admitted that they have trembled body and soul 
 through fear of these demons. Dem on- worship has an 
 awful power, not a life-giving one, but still a power ; it is 
 the dark power of death which controls their minds and 
 not only those of the ignorant. I know many educated 
 men, young men as well as old, who have received an 
 English education and hold high Official appointments, but 
 in spite of their knowledge they are still held in chains 
 by this dark influence. Each soul that is rescued from this 
 influence, whether he is a well educated Official or an 
 unlettered laborer, is a work of the Almighty God and 
 Lord of Life, Who alone is able to conquer the powerful 
 prince of darkness and of death, and to take from him 
 his prey. The man who denies this, knows nothing of 
 heathendom. 
 
 The Gospel influence, however, is not only felt by the 
 lower classes, but the higher ones also are not able to with- 
 stand it. Their time has not )^et come, it is true, but it is 
 approaching, one remarkable example I must cite : Two 
 Catechists went together to preach and said something 
 about Rama just as it occurred to them. A young 
 Brahmin woman, scarcely grown up, listened to them and 
 
235 
 
 exclaimed : " What have you to do with the history of our 
 good god Rama, ye preachers of Jesus ? Speak of your own 
 god arid leave our Rama alone, lest by any chance you anger 
 him and he devour you." Thereupon her old mother hurried 
 out of the house and punished by thrusting in the mouth 
 some moist earth which she had found near her waterpot, 
 saying : You fool ! what possesses you to talk like this ? 
 I know what our gods are. If a piece of stone gets into 
 our mouths with our rice, we throw it away, but in the 
 temple we fall down and worship a similar piece of stone. 
 We tread upon one stone at our thresholds, and pray to 
 another which has been cut by the mason. I agree with 
 our poet who says : 
 
 Ulla devam kallada, 
 Ullavum devam sembada, 
 Pinnai devam arada, 
 Pesa avaturada. 
 
 The god within is made of stone, 
 The one outside is brass alone, 
 Of him behind what is the name, 
 To tell it, is it then a shame. 
 
 This was what the Brahmin woman taught her daughter ! 
 
 Understanding can go so far and can recognize a stone 
 to be a stone, but it cannot go so far as to turn to the true 
 God. This can only be brought about by the power and 
 the grace of the Almighty God. 
 
 The number of Tamil Christians in Travancore consists at 
 present of 27,000 souls in 240 congregations of whom, 
 however, only 9,000 are baptized, as this rite is here often 
 delayed for many years. Of Missionaries, however, there 
 seem to be very few, for there are only six with ten native 
 Pastors who are assisted by 18 'Evangelists' and 136 Cate- 
 chists. The number of new conversions from the heathens is 
 unfortunately not so great now as it was formerly, and one 
 of the causes of this probably is the small number of Mis- 
 sionaries. 
 
 Besides this field the London Society has four other 
 stations in Madras, Tripatore, Salem and Coimbatore, with 
 some 2,000 adherents, of whom, however, only about 500 
 are ' Church Members.' On the other hand, it has in its 
 Boys' Schools more than 1,000 pupils, and in its Girls' Schools 
 more than 650. 
 
230 
 
 The Wesleyan Methodists liave, according to their Report 
 for 1872, nine stations in Tamil land (south, Madras north, 
 Madras, St. Thomas' Mount, Negapatam, Manargudi, Mal- 
 n at tain, Trichinopoly, Trivalore, Caroor,) and 14 Missionaries 
 supported by 8 Catechists. In all the nine stations there 
 are 174 <{ full believing members of the Church" and 24 
 on probation. Their chief work lies in the schools. Here 
 there are 2,700 pupils who, of course, are almost all heathens. 
 Lately the Society has lost several Missionaries by death 
 and others have been more or less prevented from work 
 by sickness. 
 
 The Scotch Churches, the Established and the Free Church 
 and especially the latter, are very diligent in the Tamil 
 country, but are occupied almost exclusively in the higher 
 schools for heathens. The work is in a certain degree one 
 for the future. It is sufficient for the pulling down of the 
 mighty fabric of heathenism, for he who has been in- 
 structed in a Mission school can never again like his fore- 
 fathers believe thoroughly in idols, although for the sake of 
 custom he may wear their marks on his forehead. Besides, 
 he becomes acquainted with the Bible, and with it receives 
 some historical acquaintance with Christianity. Now and 
 then even a young man is converted and then employed in 
 the schools as a teacher. In this way they have collected 
 small congregations of a few hundred souls in the vicinity 
 of the principal station, Madras. In the same degree 
 that the number of converts is small, the number of pupils 
 is large. In the Free Church Mission there are in 14 schools 
 more than 2,600 pupils, of whom more than 900 are girls. 
 The work is conducted by more than 150 teachers under 
 able Scotch Missionaries, who with much self-denial con- 
 duct a Missionary work in a way which they believe to be 
 effectual, nay, almost the only effectual method. The Mis- 
 sionaries remark in their Report: "All these tabulated 
 results represent only a portion, and a very small portion 
 of what is actually going on ; there are higher fruits of our 
 labor which cannot be calculated in an arithmetical manner. 
 The development of character, the commencement of self- 
 reliance and independent thought, the awakening of moral 
 and religious feelings, the quiet and, perhaps, imperceptible 
 influence of truth can be seen and felt by those who come 
 in daily contact with the different classes. We cannot 
 report any instances of conversion of the heart to God, but 
 
237 
 
 results of a lower, preparatory, but yet valuable kind are 
 clear enough and resemble the faint streaks before the dawn 
 of a brighter day in this part of India." 
 
 The shadow that lias fallen on the school Missions of 
 every kind during late } r ears is the almost total absence of 
 results in reference to conversions to God and gathering 
 congregations. At the commencement, when these school 
 Missions were founded, their effectiveness was judged by the 
 number of the pupils, who by means of the instruction 
 received in these schools, had been led to relinquish idolatry 
 and turn to Christ, and the present Christians and ordained 
 natives of these institutions date mostly from that time. 
 As, however, for some years the Government have been 
 giving grants-in-aid according to the results as tested 
 by an Examination in mere secular subjects, and pay to the 
 teachers as much as half their salary if they will teach 
 secular subjects daily for six hours, and lastly, as upon 
 passing the Government Examinations, depends not only 
 the much-coveted distinction of B.A., but also the 
 even-more-coveted appointment to some Government 
 Office, and as in Government Examinations no attention 
 is paid to religious subjects; everybody now strives to 
 succeed in passing as large a number of boys as possible. 
 It is natural, therefore, that, though with the best inten- 
 tions, and though he be himself unaware of, or deny it, the 
 Missionary allows Christian instruction to fall in the back 
 ground and become a matter of secondary importance, and 
 this is proved by the very marked difference between 
 former years and the present ones. The institutions of 
 these educational Missions among the Free Church Mission 
 occupy the highest rank, and are, therefore, more training 
 schools than Missionary ones. Lord Napier, when presid- 
 ing at the Examination of the Central School of this Mission 
 in Madras, made some sound and valuable remarks. He 
 said to the Missionaries : 
 
 " I thank you for your kind invitation which has placed me 
 in a position to take a share in these proceedings. I regard 
 this school with peculiar interest, and it causes me sincere 
 pleasure to be a witness of its strivings and prosperity. If 
 we look at the large number of the pupils at the various 
 classes from which they are drawn, at the high attainments 
 of the staff of teachers, and at the old and well founded 
 reputation of this establishment, it would be difficult to 
 
238 
 
 over-estimate its value as a popular means of the moral and 
 intellectual development of the country. It is certain that 
 you render to the Government considerable service in a 
 matter in which we take deep interest : It is certain that 
 you bestow upon the people many and wide-spreading 
 benefits. I congratulate the pupils on the successes which 
 they have gained in the University Examinations, and I 
 beg them earnestly to give by their diligence and obedience 
 the only reward to their teachers which they can bestow 
 upon them in return for a life of banishment, of labor and 
 of self-denial." 
 
 Of American Missionary Societies there are two in the 
 land of the Tamulians. The oldest is that of Madura which 
 was founded in 1834. Madura is the next district north 
 of Tinnevelly and the chief town of the same name is, 
 doubtless, the finest town in South India. It has fine level 
 broad streets, in part ornamented with palm trees; it is 
 full of palaces and temples, and even now it can at once be 
 seen that this was once the residence of mighty kings. 
 This was the capital of the powerful Pandion kingdom 
 from which ambassadors are said to have come to Rome to 
 the Emperor Augustus. The palaces which remain are even 
 to this day worthy of admiration, so much so that the 
 Government is at present spending hundreds of thousands 
 of Rupees in order to preserve them to posterity. During 
 the last centuries the royal power was continually on the 
 wane, but even one of these last Princes built a hall of 
 pillars, that is said to have cost 10 millions of Rupees. 
 In the middle of this hall, near the finest of the many fine 
 pillars, stands the prince himself with his hands folded, on 
 his left is his wife also with her hands folded, but with a 
 hole in her stone hip. When I asked the meaning of this, 
 the Judge who was my guide explained it as follows : This 
 queen was a princess of the house of Tanjore and a very 
 proud woman. When the Prince highly pleased with his 
 really wonderful building, asked his wife : " Has your father 
 anything like this ?" She answered spitefully, " My father's 
 cowshed is finer than that !" Thereupon the Prince drew 
 his dagger and threw it at his wife, whom it struck in the 
 hip and remained sticking there. As a remembrance of 
 this she has been represented with a hole in her stone hip. 
 The Prince may have been a little violent, but the haughty 
 wife deserved correction, for neither in her father's palace 
 
239 
 
 which is still standing nor in his whole town, is there a 
 hall to compare with this one. 
 
 The people also take an interest in restoring the mighty 
 temples, and as much as Rs. 5,000 is often expended on a 
 single granite pillar. Rich Tamulians take a pride in having 
 been able to erect one or several pillars. I have nowhere 
 seen idolatry with so much life in it as in Madura. The 
 kings of Madura cultivated literature which here attained 
 its highest prosperity. Even to this day the inhabitants 
 of Madura boast that they speak the purest Tamil and 
 they may be right. Madura the sweet with its palaces, 
 tanks, palm groves, once seen is not easily forgotten. Ch. 
 Fr. Schwartz who was so well acquainted with South India 
 was also astonished when he saw Madura. 
 
 The finest and sweetest part of Madura, however, are 
 the 139 congregations in 249 villages containing more than 
 7,000 Christians. The Missionaries have here the practical 
 as well as proper principle of a congregational 'call. 3 
 Every congregation or, it may be, two or three small congre- 
 gations combined invite some particular candidate, and 
 promise according to their means his salary. The Mis- 
 sionaries then ordain and install the man ' called' and add 
 so much as is indispensable out of the Mission funds for his 
 subsistence, until the congregation is in a condition to pay 
 him more. This is surely the best way to teach a congre- 
 gation to be independent ! At present no congregation gives 
 less than one-fifth of their Pastors' salaries and many give 
 as much as one-half. The salaries of the Pastors begin at 
 very little and rise from Rs. 10 to Rs. 35 per month. 
 Fourteen Native Pastors are already officiating, assisted 
 by 113 Catechists and governed by 10 Missionaries. Expe- 
 rienced Catechists used to be ordained, being content with 
 but little, and are more suitable to the village congregations 
 than classically educated and inexperienced young man 
 who look upon village life with contempt. 
 
 The Missionaries of Madura are also very busy in the 
 spread of the written Word. In their last year, reported on, 
 they had partly sold, and partly given away 138 Bibles, 177 
 New Testaments, 2,800 single Gospels and more than 24,000 
 Tracts. The Bible is held in high estimation even by many 
 a heathen. There is a heathen Doctor there who always 
 carries about a Bible, and when lately he was called in 
 
2-iO 
 
 to attend fqr some time the Professor of Sanscrit at the 
 pagoda, he not only gave him medicine daily, but also read 
 him out every day something from the Bible. How many 
 Christian Doctors would do the same ? 
 
 The Mission has also a Medical Missionary in whose 
 charge is a Hospital, in which during the last year more than 
 14,000 patients were treated. Of course, to each of these 
 patients the word of God was also read and preached. 
 
 The other American Mission is that of Arcot. In 1836 
 there came two Missionaries from Ceylon to Madras and 
 founded two stations, and eventually a printing press 
 which has done much good. These two Missionaries, 
 Winslowe and Dr. Scudder, preached diligently and collected 
 several Christians but never succeeded in getting together 
 a respectable congregation. They were also (except in the 
 beginning) only meagrely supported from America, and 
 frequently thwarted, since Directors at a distance often 
 know better what should be done than the Missionaries 
 who are on the spot. Hence after the death of these two 
 Missionaries, the Mission in Madras was given up. Dr. 
 Scudder, however, had seven sons, all of whom became 
 Missionaries, a case probably unprecedented. Six of these 
 brave sons are still at their posts, two are Doctors of 
 Theology and the remaining four Doctors of Medicine. 
 These brothers founded in 1853 the Mission of Arcot with 
 the chief stations of Arcot, Vellore, Chittoor and Arnee. As 
 the majority also render medicinal aid, they find a ready 
 access to the heathens. When they travel about and take 
 their medicines with them, they have sometimes from 70 to 
 80 patients a day, to whom God's Word is administered in 
 addition to medical treatment. In their Hospital at Arcot 
 they have daily 150 patients. They travel about much and 
 preach the Gospel in every village. If any one applies for 
 religious instruction, they do not accept him, if it is in a 
 place where as yet there are no Christians, unless there are 
 at least three families prepared. They then send a Cate- 
 chist who instructs the people, generally in the evening, 
 since during the day thoy must work. At their first 
 reception the catechumens have to make three pledges ; 
 1, to avoid all idolatry ; 2, never to work on Sundays ; 3, to 
 eat no meat of deceased cattle. The last condition often 
 causes trouble, but is always firmly insisted upon, as indeed 
 is necessary. All of the lower castes, the pariahs, and 
 
241 
 
 especially the elm ciders or leather workers are only too 
 fond of eating jbhe flesh of deceased cattle. When Brahmins 
 abhor all meat, and the ether castes abhor beef, people who 
 eat the carcases of dead cattle must be to them an abomin- 
 ation such as we can scarcely conceive. Even in Germany, 
 in our days a flayer was so despised that no one would 
 drink from the same glass he had drunk from, and yet they 
 were never reproached with having eaten dead meat. The 
 chucklers are not only the flayers of the country, but 
 also the vultures. The slaughtering of living cattle is 
 done by other persons, but they are the only ones who 
 touch fallen cattle, they take off the skin, which they tan 
 and manufacture into shoes, harness, &c., and then eat the 
 carcase. It is with right, therefore, that our old Missionaries 
 already protested strongly against this, and what has since 
 been neglected is now earnestly remedied by the Arcot 
 Missionaries. The instruction of their catechumens lasts 
 generally for a 3 7 ear, and the little flock is then at once 
 formed into a congregation. In 1871, they had already 
 18 congregations with 2,478 Christians who contributed 
 Us. 1,450 towards their own maintenance. In their schools, 
 which are for Christian children only, there are 760 children 
 and there is a Seminary for girls as well as one for boys. 
 
 These are the English and American Missions in Tamil 
 land. The Baptists have also a so-called Mission but they 
 only throw out their nets to catch Europeans and East 
 Indians. 
 
 In the year 1860 there were 117 European Missionaries 
 in the land of the Tamulians, 91,844 native Protestant 
 Christians and 43 ordained Native Pastors. During the 
 last 10 years the work has made a pleasing progress. 
 There are now 104 Native Pastors in the Tamil country, 
 on the other hand the number of European Missionaries 
 has unfortunately been reduced by 35, for in 1871 there 
 were only 82 Missionaries. The number of native Christians, 
 however, has increased by 26,473 souls, so that the total 
 number of native Protestant Christians is now 118,317. 
 It cannot, therefore, be said that the Missionaries have 
 labored in vain, or that the Lord has withheld His 
 blessing. Blessed be His name and praise be to Him for the 
 unspeakable mercy which He has hitherto shown to the 
 Tamulians. May His grace be poured upon them even yet 
 more and more abundantly, for there are still to each 
 
242 
 
 Missionary more than 180,000 heathens ! This is the state 
 of things in the Tamil country, but in the. rest of India 
 it is even worse. What can a poor Missionary in a climate 
 like that of India, with his many scattered handfuls of 
 Christians, with schools and buildings to erect, do among 
 so many heathens ? Truly it is easy for those who " live 
 at home at ease" to talk about the small results of the 
 Mission, especially whilst they support it only slightly 
 and pray for it lukewarmly. Those who pray earnestly 
 that the Kingdom of God may come have, however, reason 
 to thank Him for having heard their prayers, and to be- 
 come for the future even more fervent in their prayers 
 and more earnest in their work. The results of the Mission 
 are great enough to lead us to expect still greater. They 
 are not, however, large enough to warrant the folding of 
 our hands laying them in our laps and doing nothing. 
 
 "Therefore, my dear Brethren, stand fast immoveable 
 and increase in the work of the Lord, for ye know that 
 your work is not fruitless before the Lord." 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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